The Knights of the Silver Rose: Mystery Mania
by Lisalynd Writer of Many Names
Summary: The Knights of the Silver Rose are back with many mysteries on their hands. Christina and her gang are not only wary of other people, but each other as well. Who can they really trust? Maybe it's just mania. Mystery Mania...
1. Awesome Armor

_**Welcome to my second book of the series,**_ _ **Knights of the Silver Rose**_ _ **! It's a**_ _ **Mystery Mania**_ _ **! ;D XD (Yes. I tend to laugh at my own play of words ;P )**_

 _ **I'll be continuing to 'quote' AlliyahtheAuthor's Author's Notes on before certain chapters which I find memorable.**_

 _ **The chapter that's starting us off with this book is actually the first of the three in 'the Horribly Haunted House of Horrors' chapters on AlliyahtheAuthor's version. I just wanted to change the title as I'm combining chapter parts from her version, and 3 parts would just be too long.**_

 _ **Anyways, AlliyahtheAuthor's Author's Note for this chapter was when she started acting like a ghost. XD But it's kind of long, so if you really want to read it, go to her version of the story. I'm assuming most of you just want to get reading this long chapter so I didn't copy and paste it on here. Off you go!**_

* * *

Christina's P.O.V.

* * *

I didn't need Jane's fantastic red velvet rose shaped pancakes to wake me up today. Though they are delicious! If you haven't tried one, you haven't lived. Nope. I got up all by myself, thank you very much! I was actually the earliest one up in the castle, which was definitely a first since Destiny would often beat me to it, roaming aimlessly around the castle grounds somewhere.

I marched to each and every one of the Knights of the Silver Rose's individual rooms, and shouted through their doors, "GET UP!"

As you can guess, they weren't exactly grateful for that, but the sun had risen! We had to get a move on! As it turns out, Destiny had heard my screeching in advance, and walked out of her cleaned room just before I could yell the same thing to her.

"I'm so excited!" I burst, needing to express myself out loud.

She smiled. "Me too. Let's get to the armory and get everyone suited up."

I nodded, gathering the very tired royals, ambassador, and commoners into a group. We all headed to the Armory, most of my fellow Knights of the Silver Rose were whining from my early wake up call.

"Did you have to wake us up so early?" Cleo complained, rubbing her eyes. "I need my beauty sleep you know."

"Yes." I answered directly. "Unless you want to be stuck at that creepy castle all night. Any more questions?"

Everyone went completely silent.

"Good! Let's get you all suited!"

We weren't alone when we make it to the Armory. After we entered some familiar knights followed us in soon after. It appears that Savannah's little friends discovered our whereabouts. Since Destiny, Olivia, and I were already in our armor, Olivia's being magically tailored, we covered our faces with our visors so our identities wouldn't be blown.

"Suited?" asked Jordan. "Savannah? What's going on?"

"Uh… It's for a play?" pretended Cassandra.

"Relax guys," Savvy assured them. "We're just having a little fun. Shouldn't you be working on those fighting reflexes? They could use some improvement from that last battle... I'll meet up with you guys at dinner time."

Max shrugged. "Okay… We'll be practicing in the Outer Yard with some local knights. I hear they're pretty good. If you're in danger or anything, just give us a holler."

"And you owe us some goodies sister!" Camille pointed accusingly at Mia before turning around and leaving us alone.

Once they all left us alone, we all sighed in relief.

Mia gave Savvy a thumb's up. "Good save there. That was a close one."

Mike shook his head. "I knew it was a bad idea to lie to them like that… Now they'll be constantly checking on us because we're acting all suspicious!"

"Will they be able to stand against full grown knights?" fretted Genna. "I mean, they _are_ only about Andy's age from the looks of it."

Andy crossed his arms. "Hey!"

"Pff. Relax," Mia assured them. "From the way they fight, they can handle themselves."

"They fight? Last battle?" I inquired. "Savvy, are you one of them? Does the same go for Mike and Mia?"

Mike and Mia both had the same reaction. "Uh..."

Savvy sighed. "Chrissy, I-"

She stopped herself just in the knick of time, as the armorer came in. His bald head was square-like with kind brown eyes, a big nose, and a black beard. He was pretty hefty, aside from his expanding belly tied back by a brown apron. He wore short sleeves that could use some hemming, baggy black pants, and strong worker boots. He was marked with quite a few bumps, bruises, and burns all over him from his labor, but they didn't seem to prevent him from doing his job merrily.

"So, this armor is for a play?" he gathered. "You're kind of outdoing yourselves, but since they are for display purposes, I'll make them appear extravagant and as light as possible."

"Will they still be strong?" worried Mike, not wanting the armor to defeat it's purpose if we were gonna face any real dangers.

The armorer laughed good-naturedly. "Well, you young'uns must want your play to be as realistic as possible. I'd love to watch, but I can't afford such luxuries. Besides, I've got a lot of work on my hands after this immediate large order. You can all stay and watch. I work pretty fast once I get going. I have a few apprentices as well."

He signaled for eight boys, around their teenage years, to come and help him out. They didn't seem too excited to make armor mostly for _girls_ , but they had no choice under their master's watchful eye.

As he measured the others, I seated myself on a bare workable, going back to what I was thinking about my cousin earlier. _I didn't know Savvy had secrets… She better tell me what she's up to… After all, I'm her cousin!_

My focus was interrupted by banging on metal, as the two tallest of the boys alternatively hammered and heated the iron plates. One of the boys kept the forge's fire strong pumping some billows, while two more handed tools and pieces of iron and possibly some other metal scraps to combine with the iron. Once the pieces were shaped, the sixth apprentice would pass them to the expert armorer who used an unbelievable process to change color of the rims of the armor plates. He'd dip the edges into a roaring fire, then removing their edges right when their trims attained a requested color letting them cool in a bucket of water with a hiss. The color it once glowed in the heat retained on the metal after it cooled. He could also made a powdered gold stick into a shimmering layer to desired plates, which was a method he called Golding. It was like an art. He was assisted by another boy whom he probably kept closest to him to keep him out of trouble, handing the armorer and tools he required. The final apprentice assembled all the different plates together to form the finished results, with the others joining in once they finished their jobs. I must admit, I was rather impressed how the armorer kept all his boys organized and preoccupied with set tasks, making the workload go by rather quickly.

Cleo had shimmering gold armor with bronze accents, since she insisted on standing out. Cassandra's armor was completely gold, also being a royal and wishing to outshine Cleo. Those two, as well as Olivia, were the only ones that didn't have silver based armor. Both Cassandra and Genna had holes in their armor to accommodate their wings. Genna's armor had a lilac colored trim that complimented her blue-silver wings perfectly. The armorer didn't suspect that her wings appeared and disappeared as her transformation occurred right before we arrived to the Armory. Her brother, Andy, had armor with dark blue outlines.

Fiona's silver armor had a blue trim as well, only, it was more of a light frost blue, borderline white. I assumed she wanted that color to represent the cold climate of her home world, Grizzleheim. I bet Evelyn's border color had some kind of relationship to her home world Mooshu. It was darkest shade of green. The same dark green as her favorite kimono she usually wore from Mooshu.

She took it to the next level asking if they could paint some dragon designs on it. After refusing as it was time consuming, Evelyn grabbed the metallic green, red, black, and gold paint to speed paint on the details herself on her suit of armor, which turned out beautifully. Cleo decided to paint some copper colored hieroglyphics I couldn't understand on her armor as well once Evelyn started applying her design. As much as I wanted to paint something on my armor, I didn't want to ruin it, as I'm not exactly the best at art. Though Destiny's a natural! I was surprised she didn't join Evelyn and Cleo.

Meanwhile, Mia's and Mike's silver suits of armor had matching yellow trims. Being twins, they wanted to look identical. Not only to confuse their enemies during battle, pretending that the opponent was seeing double, but also to show their continual closeness even in our circle of knights after completing their first knightly task together. My cousin Savvy, with armor having a maroon trim was the final set to be made. All the apprentices were exhausted to the wim by that time.

All of our armor was of the same structure as a common knight's, only, we had a few flourishes, and looked pretty flashy. The new girls' armor structure were also slightly thinner as to fit the fragile arms and legs and curved to stick close around their waists, which was the only feature we could use to differentiate between Mia and Mike. Otherwise, the chest plates and everything else on the girls' armor stayed traditionally flat as not to stand out too much against the normal knights. After what had transpired between Destiny and I, everyone else insisted to have silver rose engravings on the exact same spot of their armor as ours. We decided to make the silver rose our knight group's logo. In the meantime, Olivia was the proud demonstration for the armorer to reference. In the end, we all looked fabulous, as usual.

I paid him handsomely with a pouch of gold coins as a token of thanks before leaving. He seemed a bit flabbergasted at such a large amount of real gold coins, so we left before he could ask who I really was.

Even though that master armorer had six pairs of hands with him, I didn't anticipate for the armor fitting to take all day! So we turned in for the night, resolving to wake up early for our journey the next day.

* * *

Cassandra's P.O.V.

* * *

Christina woke us up bright and early the next day and yelled us awake just like the day before.

 _So much for sleeping in…_

I sighed, grudgingly getting out of bed. We met up in our secret room, then departed after a head count. As we were marching outside the castle, about to head into the Weirwood, we were stopped by another knight on a horse.

 _Uh oh… This doesn't look good._

"Who are you?" asked an echoed voice coming from inside the helmet.

Since Mike was the only boy besides Andy, Mia elbowed him.

"Ow! I mean, uh, out for… knightly duties?" he excused.

The knight was clearly _very_ suspicious. We were all going to be busted, weren't we? After we'd come this far already, would this be the end of the Knights of the Silver Rose just because Mike couldn't even act manly and knightly?

* * *

Destiny's P.O.V.

* * *

 _Oh no. This could mean the end of us…_

I was about to panic, until my mind reading turned on again!

I could hear everyone in our group worrying:

 _...We are soooo dead…_

 _...We're gonna be discovered for sure…_

 _...So much for the Knights of the Silver Rose…_

I couldn't let that happen. I had to stay strong when others were feeling weak. I just had to! It was my duty.

I lowered my voice. "We have secret orders from His Majesty himself to ward off a beast in the Weirwood who is pestering some villagers."

 _This knight means serious business,_ examined the knight blocking the way in his head. _He shouldn't have told us those secret orders, but I_ did _try to pry them out…_

His thoughts sounded familiar… but I couldn't pin point from who exactly. All us Knights of the Silver Rose waited in anticipation.

"Alright. But be back by sundown for the meeting. We knights have plans to discuss, don't forget," he reminded us, kicking the horse for it to move away.

We all saluted obediently. "Yes sir!"

 _...Phew. That was a close one…_

 _...We were lucky enough to get the slip…_

 _...I wonder what this 'meeting' will be about..._

That moment, my mind reading stopped. Thank goodness! It was hard to keep track whose thoughts are who's with so many people! But that last thought stuck with me… What _would_ this 'meeting' be about?

* * *

Christina's P.O.V.

* * *

Once we were a good distance away from the castle and the suspecting knight, we all let out a huge sigh of reassurance.

I immediately went to hug her. "Destiny, you saved us back there!"

"Well, it was nothing really," she replied in relief, uncomfortably wiggling herself out of my armored grip.

"Don't be ridiculous! You were amazing!" credited Genna.

Mia shoved Mike. "And _you_ seriously need to take acting lessons Mike!"

"It wasn't his fault. He was under a lot of pressure," comforted Destiny.

"But you actually did something about it!" insisted Cleo. "Even, I, next heir to Krokotopia, was speechless!"

I noticed Destiny blushing from all the compliments from under her visor. It was then that I realized how rarely she actually got that much attention… I swore I would give her more credit from now on. Yet, she didn't seem to want it. Something else seemed to be on her mind…

"You okay Destiny?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. I'm fine. Still just a bit stunned from the events," she stuttered nervously.

"Okay…" I ended the discussion at that.

She probably was. It's not like she'd lie to me… Right?

Thankfully, the sun was still high as we walked through the forest of the Weirwood, so it wasn't nearly as creepy as it could have been. Conveniently, Genna's long sword Lapis and her wings disappeared out of sight, making it less awkward to maneuver herself around the low branches of the trees. Olivia guided the way with her new-found magical item: the map.

"Wow…" Fiona admired, observing the map as the flashing arrow pointed at our destination. "That thing is cool! Can it lead us to an ice cream stand sometime?"

Olivia looked a little taken by surprise. "Um, can you lead us to an ice cream stand?"

The map blurred, then cleared with a new destination to the nearest village.

"Sweet!" cried Andrew. "I can't wait until I find my magic item..."

"That's it!" declared Savannah. "Maybe the map can guide us to the next magical item!"

"That's a great idea!" I agreed. "Can you ask it for us?"

Olivia asked the map, and it blurred once again.

She let out a gasp. "That's the same place where I found the map!"

Our pace quickened, everyone trying to get a look at the map.

"Does this castle, by any chance, have a name?" queried Destiny. "Maybe I know it…"

Olivia looked ahead. "I don't know… but we'll soon find out."

In front of us was a huge castle. It wasn't quite as big as the one I lived in, but it was still pretty gigantic! It had five large shattered windows. There each was a different color: black, white, red, blue, and finally, green. They appeared to have been stained with images of knights, but they were so broken now I could hardly make it out.

Cassandra gazed up, astonished. "Whoa…"

Olivia gulped. "Be careful. There's probably some more secret passageways and traps, so don't touch anything."  
"Oh no..." mumbled Mia. "I can just feel it."

Mike shuddered. "There might as well be a ghost out here shouting 'Welcome to the Horribly Haunted House of Horrors!'"


	2. The Horribly Haunted House of Horrors

_**Time for another flashback! ;D**_

 **Hullo again, readers! Why am I not sounding like a ghost anymore? I don't feel like it now XD. Simple as that. Now, Mystery Writer, would you care to share (hehe, I rhymed! :D) your hint of the day?**

 _ **Hi there! Let me just say, I am**_ **NOT** _**that big a fan of horror stories. So all the spooky stuff is written by AlliyahtheAuthor. She's great at it!**_

 **Heh heh, true confession time: I watch a ton of horror movies XD.**

 _ **While I, on the other hand, I haven't watched any xd (too scary) Call me a chicken if you will :P**_

 **So you're hint today is that you're a chicken? (Don't believe her XD. Mike is much more of a scaredy-cat, at least he is in this chapter/story XD )**

 _ **Well, I'd probably act a lot like another character... ;)**_

 **Hehe...Okay, now, to continue the chapter! :D Enjoy!**

 _ **Warning: This will be a long chapter with 2 parts combined and two 'quoted' Author's Notes. I'd advise you to get comfy with a blanket, some popcorn or hot chocolate if you intend to read this whole chapter in one sitting.**_

 _ **Also, these few chapters will eventually crossover with my original**_ _ **Knights of the Rainbow Heart**_ _**series I'm also working on, so feel free to check that out on how it all began… Consider this, a preview… )**_

* * *

Michael's P.O.V.

* * *

All of a sudden, a clear-ish looking figure in glowing red appeared out of thin air! I immediately hid behind my sis out of fear.

 _Well isn't that just great!_

The red ghost rested on an arch, his arms spread out in mock surprise and happiness.

"Welcome to the Horribly Haunted House of Horrors!"

"Ah!" I jumped so many feet in the air it's too embarrassing to say.

This was worse than the spider incident!

"By King Artorius!" swore Christina in surprise. "You were right for once Mike!"

"Hold on a second..." Destiny squinted so she could try and shape out the ghost from afar.

The phantom seemed to become more distinct in shape as it floated towards us. This was unnatural! It's aura became more of a vibrant, threatening, fierce, angry red. It was like a red fire was consuming a suit of moving armor! Talk about creepy! I'll never look at those armor displays in the halls of Avalon's castle the same way again... I felt faint. But humiliating myself in front of my new group of teammates and a ghost-knight no less was the last thing I wanted to do.

"You look familiar…" Destiny didn't stop eyeing the red ghost-knight's visor suspiciously. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

I was certain from the pause in silence that he was grinning maliciously under his glowing red helmet.

"Come on in... If you dare!" With that, he disappeared into thin air.

 _Why did I agree to come here again?_

"Spooks already!" drew Andrew excitedly. "This is gonna be so thrilling!"

 _How can someone like, three years younger than me, not be terrified?! Is he crazy?_

"D-d-do we have to go in there?" I shivered with fright.

Savannah looked at Christina's determined expression, then back at me. "Yes Mike. You've done scarier things in your life!"

"Like what?" I challenged. "I don't think anything beats seeing 'Sir Psycho-lot' just now."

Savannah remained silent. I knew she wouldn't be able to think of anything more frightening for the moment. Everyone started walking forward to the huge, towering, creepy castle. I didn't want to be left alone with Sir Psycho-lot lurking around, so I caught up to them as fast as I could. The inside of the castle was much, much, _much_ more nerve-racking than outside. I could practically feel the snakes around my ankles and more creepy-crawlies on my face. Yuck! We entered through a large draw-bridge, and I noticed that the torches were lit, but flickering too much for comfort.

 _Thanks a lot ghost! Just enough light to see your creepy face!_

Destiny smiled to herself, as if hearing something funny.

 _Eh, must be my imagination…_

We continued onward. As we got deeper, the torches got dimmer. How convenient. Was this stupid knight-ghost _targeting_ to specifically freak me out? I suppose he had nothing better to do in his afterlife… The walls dripped and the stone floors creaked. How is that even _possible?!_ They're stone! Everything completely creeped me out!

 _CLANK._

"Ah!" I screamed. "What was that?"

Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Um, me walking?"

I blushed underneath my visor. "Oh, okay…"

All of a sudden, every torch in the dark, narrow hallway went out. That did it.

I just blew up. "IF YOU ARE NEVER EVEN GOING TO SHOW YOUR FACE AND JUST TRY TO SCARE US, THEN YOU MIGHT AS WELL-!"

"-BOO!"

"AHHHHHH!" And with that, I ran as fast as I could to try and get out of there.

I repeated in my head for the second time in three days, _Where is the exit when you need it most?!_

* * *

Savannah's P.O.V.

* * *

I have to admit, that scared _all_ of us out of our wits. Before we could look for Mike though, the torches came back on. Four ghosts surrounded us, all floating in a circle.

They were making ghostly motions with their hands, all while cooing, "ooooooooooooh!"

The ghosts all wore glowing armor. They all matched the broken windows outside.

"What in the Spiral is going on here?!" Genna demanded, pulling Andy behind her wings defensively.

Soon after she did so, her wings, as well as her sword, unexpectedly disappeared.

"Aw come on!" she fussed, now hugging her brother with her arms instead. "Right when I need the protection for my brother..."

 _We're actually being haunted by a bunch of ghosts!_ _Now that's something you don't see every day..._

A black armored ghost formed from the shadows. From the top of his black helmet rose silver pointed spikes. It somewhat resembled to a fusion of a helmet and a pointy crown. His superior air definitely made him seem like that of a king.

He walked towards us, scoffing at the others. "Enough of this foolishness! We have important business to attend to..."

 _What does he mean by business?_

Mia couldn't help but ask, " _Unfinished_ business?"

He ignored her. "You are here to find the items of magic, correct?"

Destiny and Christina nodded eagerly. Christina looked very much intrigued, while Destiny had a fearful look covering her face. I had noticed she almost always appeared fretful… What was constantly troubling her?

"We may be able to help with that!" declared the knight in white armor, waving his arm a-matter-of-factly. "But first, we should introduce ourselves. I am John Hawkwood, otherwise known as the White Knight!"

The one in red armor whom we spotted earlier introduced over confidently, "I'm the famed Sir Lancelot of the Lake, the Red Knight!"

 _Wow. So much for first impressions._ _These guys so far actually seem to be on the good side and rather optimistic._

The blue glowing knight nodded serenely. "They call me Richard the Peaceheart, but they also call me the Blue Knight."

The black armored one cleared his throat. "I am Edward, the infamous Black Prince. Though I'm better known as the Black Knight."

The green armored ghost stepped forward. "I am Emeric de Mousquetaire. You may have never heard of me, but many have once called me the Green Knight."

He bowed with a flourish, holding a semi-transparent musketeer sword that glowed. To top it off, it was identical to Destiny's! He seemed to give a special smile to her as well, making me wonder if they had some sort of connection... Being acknowledged made her smile back and her eyes twinkle along with a major blush like she usually would when getting attention.

 _What's she smiling about?_ _More importantly, what's with that sword?_

All five ghost-knights revealed their faces after introducing themselves. They all had youthful boy countenances when they sounded like grown men! We were all appalled. How young did these men die before becoming ghosts? How does that even work?! All of them had ghostly pale skin, and their eyes stood out compared to the rest of their facial features.

John Hawkwood, the White Knight, had a few strands of semi-see-through blond hair falling over his pale, sky blue eyes. Lancelot the Red Knight had hazel brown eyes, with matching chestnut brown bangs slightly covering his eyebrows, but his oblong visage prevented him from looking like a girl. As for the Blue Knight, he took off his blue helmet to reveal his whole head instead of simply lifting his visor like the other four. The helmet transformed into round, blue rimmed glasses! I could only catch some brilliant blue flashes from Richard the Peaceheart's eyes since he was squinting most of the time, and his curly blond hair scattered all over the top of his somewhat square-like face. Turning to the Green Knight, Emeric de Mousquetaire's irises shone a forest green under that bark brown coat, but otherwise, the rest of his facial features were rather subtle, with a few brown hairs sticking out. Edward, on the other hand, had prominently sharp features and pitch black eyes that seemed to scan our very souls. I shivered at their ghostly sight before they turned their gazes from us Knights of the Silver Rose to each other.

"Together," they all proclaimed, connecting their individual, signature, items in the air. "We are the Knights of the Rainbow Heart!"

"Oh how I hate that name…" Edward grumbled. "We should have named it, 'The Knights of Painful, Terrifying, Excruciating Death'..."

 _Well, all of them are pretty cheery except for Edward…_ _He's the opposite of optimistic!_

The Green Knight's item was obviously his sword, while the Black Knight's was a spyglass, though it that was the last item I'd expect him to have. It wasn't even a weapon! It must have served some kind of multi-purpose if it meant so much to him to reveal it with such pride… The White Knight's special item must have been his rather large white shield he lifted up, appearing out of nowhere. It had a hawk emblem, which suited his last name perfectly. But it couldn't have been painted on since it glimmered a lot against the white wooden surface, bordered by some type of white metal. It didn't look like any ordinary shield either... The Red Knight's was a bejeweled dagger, with designs on its crossguards that looked hauntingly familiar… As for the Blue Knight, well, I found his most unique being the blue headgear that could alter from specs to his helmet at will. His glasses transformed back into his helmet once he put them back on. All their special objects were as transparent as their bearers, yet their glowed the same color as their individual auras.

"That. Was. Awesome!" squealed Andy, getting all fan-girly. "Do it again!"

All the Knights of the Rainbow Heart chuckled kind-heartedly except for Edward.

"Okay," slowly comprehended Fiona. "But what about you helping us find _our_ special items?"

The Black Knight glared at us with distaste. "It does not pay to be impatient."

John slapped Edward on the back. "Oh lighten up Ed! Only one item here is ready at the moment."

"How many times must I tell you that I won't tolerate you calling me that! I won't take it anymore!" roared Edward, turning his back against the White Knight.

"Hah! You did it again!" pointed out the Red Knight, slapping his knee and roaring with laughter.

"Did what?" the Black Knight dared to say, turning back to the others.

"You always talk back when you keep declaring you won't," patiently explained the Blue Knight, probably for the millionth time.

The Green Knight couldn't help but chuckle before turning serious again. "Now. Your runaway friend Michael Legend is about to get himself into some trouble. Better go after him."

"You know his name?!" We all stared at him in disbelief.

I bet Richard was smiling knowingly underneath his blue helmet. "We know all your names. We've been following your progress, and we're excited to see how you young ones develop over time."

We all glared disapprovingly at them. No wonder why I always had that queer feeling of being watched...

"Hey! We can't help it if we poke around to watch other people's lives with nothing better to do," defended John. "It gets pretty dull around here, so we watch others to entertain ourselves."

"Emphasis on 'entertain'," stressed Lancelot.

I frowned. _Great. Not only are they ghost-knights, but they're also stalkers…_

"Wait. Did you say Mike's gonna be in trouble?!" panicked Mia, remembering she wasn't enjoying the moment with her twin brother.

We all started scrambling down the hall. All the while, the glowing colored knights watched us in a frenzy.

"Should happen right… about…" the Green Knight waited a moment, before mentioning, "Now."

Mike's horrified scream echoed through the haunted palace. I glanced back at the ghost-knights, but they've vanished!

"Well aren't they helpful!" Evelyn muttered angrily, speeding down the hall.

"But how could they predict he was gonna get himself in trouble?" wondered Olivia, unable to understand it all. "I've encountered quite a bit of dark and magical beings in my time, but this kind of supernatural takes it to a whole other level!"

"Seriously guys? I _expect_ him to get himself into trouble every time he's alone! And you all should too now he's part of this group," Mia grumbled before she sprinted ahead of us. "Mike? Mike!"

 _This is all my fault!_ I couldn't help but think. _What if Mike is gone forever, just because I couldn't stop him from running away?_

* * *

 ***Has a flashlight under head* Mwahahahaha! I am creepy again :D! This is the last part in the House of Horror chapter series thing, FYI, so be prepared! o: (although it's not exactly super scary, it's still really cool, and you can thank the Mystery Writer for that, she wrote most of it XD!) MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

 _ **Oh boy… Here we go again... Anyways, hi! Mystery Writer here. Since later in this chapter is gonna cover a bit of (spoiler alert) descendants and ancestry, thought I might share a bit about my personal family history. I'll be general about it.**_

 _ **I do have aristocratic blood in me, though that is nothing to brag about in a society like the one we live in today. I'm more than happy to be equal and have the same rights and freedoms as everyone else with no privileges whatsoever :)**_

 **That's certainly an intriguing hint, eh folks ;D? Anyways, sorry for my parts of the Author's Note which are usually super long, so I'm cutting it short today XD. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Cleopatra's P.O.V.

* * *

I truly wished Michael had not run away.

One: My shoes were getting ruined from all this running!

Two: It was obvious everyone was really worried about him.

I believed that every problem has a solution, so I wasn't quite as perturbed. We'd figure something out, once we found him.

"Help me!" I heard him shout.

"Over here!" I guided the group to where I heard the screeching.

They followed my lead. Michael's voice kept yelling, but there was nothing there! We reached a dead end!

Melissa put her head up against the wall. "Mike?! You in there?!"

He didn't say a word. Maybe he could no longer hear us.

Christina asked the typical question in these kind of desperate cases. "What are we going to do?"

"He must be behind some kind of secret passage we can't find…" computed Destiny.

I froze. I sensed something, familiar. I had felt it many times before, back in Krokotopia.

I gasped. "A tomb!"

"What?" asked Andrew, confused.

I started feeling all over the wall. "This is a tomb! If we do not get Michael out soon, he will suffocate! Or worse…"

Melissa's face became a million times more concerned.

"But there's nothing there!" despaired Savannah, obviously starting to lose hope.

"Hold on a second..." Destiny paused, observing the wall blocking our way. "There must be a puzzle or a key we can use to get through..."

I took a step back to look at the wall as well. It was different compared to the rest. Instead of the dark, gloomy bricks as all the other walls, it seemed like a mixed up mosaic, meant to form a picture…

"Hold on a second." I pushed everyone aside. "I love ancient art and ciphers, but not as much as I love solving them! I have a knack for this kind of stuff."

"Then do it already! Please!" Melissa begged. "And quickly!"

There was a hole in the center. I used the space to move the scrambled mosaic bricks around. Eventually, the picture formed into a giant scarab!

"Wow…" everyone was in awe of my skills, as they should be.

I was Cleopatra, and I was about to save someone's life!

"That was impressive work there Cleo," Fiona managed to say. "But Mike just stopped screaming."

The wall disappeared, and we immediately rushed inside. It was a small room, full of Krokotopian glyphs, jewels, and scrolls!

 _What's all this doing here?_

In the middle, protected by a glass case, was a cyan colored gemstone in a scarab shaped amulet!

 _There's some powerful magic in this place.._. _We'd better be careful._

Michael was sitting all curled up on the floor, staring at the opposite corner.

"Mike!" Melissa ran to his side. "Thank goodness you're alright! Remember that knight-ghost you called 'Sir Psycho-lot'? He's actually the reminiscence of the famous Sir Lancelot! There are four other ghost-knights glowing the colours of the shattered glass window outside, and they're all-"

"-Shhh…" he hushed, pointing to the corner he didn't stop fixing his eyes on.

We all turned to where he was pointing. In both corners on the far side of the room sat two wrapped up Krokotopian mummies on thrones. Every time we made a sound, they twitched. I understood one thing loud and clear. We could _not_ wake them up. Not unless we had a death wish. It was considered exceedingly rude to invade one's tomb, and Krokotopians acted as they thought was appropriate, which it was, if they were tomb-raiders; killing the culprit. As the others tried to bring Michael to his senses so he could move out, I stepped forward to the relic that captivated my eye. The amulet in the case shimmered at me. It seemed to be whispering to me. I felt like every problem in my life would be solved if I just _took_ it. The glass case dissolved, giving me the chance to reached forward and touch it.

Before everything went blinding white, I heard Christina crying, "Cleo! Don't touch-"

I was floating in an endless space of white light. No, _golden_ light.

 _Had I died? Is this Aaru?_

 **From behind, boomed a powerful male voice,** " _ **Cleopatra the III, Next Heir of Krokotopia!"**_

 **I turned around, and realized I was face to face with Ra, the Sun God, and the God of all other Gods! I bowed immediately.**

" _ **No need to bow.**_ " **He kindly offered his hand to raise me back to standing position.** " _ **After all, you now have the great power to summon my powers at your will."**_

" **Wait. What?!"**

 _ **Me? Have more power than the greatest of Gods? Everything is happening too fast!**_

" _ **You are now the bearer of the Amulet of Ra,"**_ **he explained, as if he read my thoughts.** " _ **It will burn or blind anything or anyone when you wish."**_

 **He pointed at the amulet I touched earlier, which I now wore around my neck.**

 _ **How did that get there?!**_

" _ **The Knights of the Rainbow Heart stole this from our family tomb, but it was for the greater good. They did keep it safe in hiding throughout the time when it's tomb was raided, and they never abused its power at all as the Krokotopians did during the reign of chaos,"**_ **he admitted.**

 **There was so much I wanted to ask Ra.** _ **What happened during the reign of chaos? When was it? Who do these Rainbow Heart Knights, or whatever they're called think they are, stealing property of the Pharaohs?!**_

" _ **I'm afraid my time with you for now is over, for you are about to be whacked over the head with a scepter..."**_ **he predicted solemnly.**

 **His spirit was absorbed into the cyan gemstone of the scarab amulet.**

 _What did he mean, I was about to get whacked over the head with a scepter?!_

 _BONK!_

Then it hit me. A crusty mummy stood in front of me, holding a scepter.

 _So that's what Ra meant…_ I realized, rubbing my head to soothe the pain.

"How dare you!" I cried, glaring daggers at him. "I am Cleopatra the III, the next heir of Krokotopia!"

Something blazed out of my amulet, and the Krok erupted into dust. What had just happened? Cassandra's head turned towards me, and unconsciously dropped a heavy Krokotopian hammer onto the remaining Krok.

"Whoa! EPIC!"

"What?" I asked uncomfortably. "What is it? Why are all of you staring at me like that?"

"Cleo..." Evelyn cried faintly in shock.

"You-you-you're, gold!" Michael almost ran away as if he had seen another ghost but was held back by Melissa.

She obviously didn't want him getting himself into another trap. I observed my new complexion with a mirror I kept in my pocket, just in case my eyeliner smudged or another tragedy like that. My skin _was_ gold! I gasped and jolted, scurrying back and bumping into a wall. Apparently, doing so triggered another trap of wooden spikes! Out of reflexes, I pointed the amulet's gem towards the wooden spikes heading towards me. The amulet of Ra beamed a bright light, burning the wooden pegs into ashes in an instant.

"Wow!" Destiny exclaimed in awe, then politely asked, "May I see that gem on the amulet?"

I nodded. I couldn't seem to get the amulet off my neck, so I just showed it to her. She analyzed it closely. Suddenly, she looked as if something had just bonked _her_ on the head!

"Are you okay Destiny?" worried Christina.

"I'm… I'm alright," she insisted, holding her head with her hand for support.

 _There's something peculiar about Destiny.._. _What did she see in my amulet, if she saw anything at all?_

* * *

Destiny's P.O.V.

* * *

"I think I've had just enough about this place," murmured Cassandra after walking endlessly down the dark halls. "These tunnels are so narrow and I keep bumping my wings into levers, triggering even more traps!"

"Maybe we should come back here another day as a smaller group," suggested Olivia. "The map is now pointing back towards the Avalon castle anyways."

We all agreed outwardly on that, but I knew what others were thinking on the inside…

Andrew: _Aw. I want more adventure…_

Genna: _Phew. No more fearing Andrew getting himself in trouble in this creepy place for today…_

Mike: _Finally! This place is giving me the creeps…_

Cleo: _I need to tell them what happened when we get back…_

Cassandra: _Wish these big, awkward wings didn't have to prevent me from going further…_

Fiona: _Wonder if there's ice cream anywhere around here…_

Mia: _Mike always gets himself into such trouble! Why was I cursed with such a troublesome brother?_

Olivia: _This place is much more interesting than the Weirwood, and I thought that was strange!_

Savannah: _Those crazy ghosts were certainly interesting people!_

Evelyn: _Wonder what else lies in this creepy place..._

Christina: _Hope Destiny is okay…_

I could start pin pointing whose thoughts were who's through their attitudes, tones, and personalities, but that didn't prevent me from getting a huge headache. I crouched down on the dusty floor, surrounded by dust, and curled myself into a ball, coughing thanks to my dust allergies.

"You sure you okay?" Christina asked uncertainly.

"Yeah… This darkness and dust is getting to me."

I needed to get away from all this!

"I'll catch up with you guys in a second," I assured her.

"She'll manage," Savannah comforted Christina.

Though Christina didn't seem that convinced, she played along anyways and they let me be.

 _Phew._ I was glad I could finally have some time to myself. _That was a close one._

I went over what had happened when I made contact with Cleopatra's 'Amulet of Ra' as she called it. There was bloodshed. Kroks versus an army of knights on the sandy plains. Those five knights, the ones with the same colored armor as the ghosts' glows came out victorious with the 'Amulet of Ra'. It all seemed so familiar…

"Welcome to the palace of the Knights of the Rainbow Heart, Descendant of the Green Knight," eerily welcomed a voice from behind me.

I immediately jumped up and landed in a defense stance, slicing my sword out of its scabbard. I turned my head. A shadow from behind me emerged into a girl with straight long shady black hair, sleet neon green eyes, a sharp smile, and ghostly white skin.

 _That must be Silena Noir, the Descendant of the Black Knight Olivia and Evelyn were talking about,_ I pieced together, comparing her black armor as identical to the Black Knight's, only on a slim girl's figure.

 _Hold on._ I paused and thought back. _Me? Descendant of the Green Knight's Ghost?! But he's obviously an aristocrat! I'm nothing but a commoner… Besides, he looked too young to have been married. But then why did I automatically smiled when the Green Knight introduced himself? And why did the rest of those knights looked so familiar?_

I tried scanning Silena's thoughts, searching for answers. All I could sense were vague emotions. I felt despair, loss, and a hard upbringing.

 _ **Nice try,**_ she approved through thought. _**But those mind reading tricks don't work on me!**_

 _Apparently she doesn't realized I can still sense her emotions a little,_ I humored, trying to shake off those depressing thoughts of her's.

 _ **What do you mean by 'Descendant of the Green Knight?**_ I questioned, exchanging my inquiry with her thoughts.

I don't know how I could do it, but I think it worked since she answered, well, somewhat.

 _ **Why would I answer that when it would spoil all the future excitement of self-discovery and development for yourself? Hmm?**_ she inquired back.

I sighed, trying my best to stay patient and keeping my frustration to a minimum. _Well, this isn't going to go anywhere_...

She disappeared back into the shadows.

Be she didn't leave me without weaving a teasing thought into my head. _**Better get out of here while it's still bright outside...**_

As much as I hated her for it, she had a point. We had to leave before something worse got the best of us…

"Destiny! You coming?" I heard someone from my group call out.

"Yes!" I answered, running towards the sound of their chatting.

Who was this Silena? Why was she so intent on helping us, if she wouldn't even tell me who I am? As we exited the ruins safely, I saw the ghosts of the Knights of the Rainbow Heart reappear and wave at us.

"And good riddance!" contended the Black Knight, relieved.

"That was the most fun we've had in years!" cried the Red Knight, flying around in circles. "It's been forever since I've last pranked a living soul. Haven't lost my touch."

The Blue Knight sighed peacefully. "Take care children…"

"I simply can't wait until they come back!" exclaimed the White Knight excitedly, waving rapidly and joyfully at us. "And your prank was brilliant Lancelot!"

The Green Knight lifted his visor to show a smile. I smiled back. Something told me we were gonna come back soon enough.


	3. The Completely Pointless Dirty Rock

_**Hi to all those reading! :D**_

 _ **I think I'd be posting the rest of the Author's Notes AlliyahtheAuthor and I have done together until the very end, with a few adjustments so that they work with the chapters. Here we go:**_

 **Hey, all! Yep, finally done with the spookiness XD. That was tiring! You just wait till Christmas ;) ! What hint do ya have for us today, Mystery Writer? :D**

 _ **Let me just say I'm relieved that you stopped playing around for now. But now I'm not looking forward to Christmas xd**_

 **Lol. I hope you adore (yeah, I've been saying enjoy since, I like, for joined XD! Time for a change) this chapter!**

* * *

Christina's P.O.V.

* * *

We had been in that creepy place for a long time, and the sun was lowering by the time we reached the castle of Avalon.

I pat myself on the shoulder. _It's a good thing I had woken everyone up so early. The meeting that knight had talked about earlier was going to start soon!_

Normally I wouldn't care one bit, but I didn't want to get the Knights of the Silver Rose in trouble by acting suspicious, since that knight who blocked us earlier was now expecting us.

Evelyn walked up to me. "So, uh… Do we know where this place is?"

"Nope," I declared. "I think we're gonna have to ask."

I glanced at Destiny, and I could tell immediately that she was stressed. I wished she wasn't always so worried about certain things… and secretive.

 _What is going on in her head?_

I had never noticed it before, but after founding the Knights of the Silver Rose together, she seemed to be hiding something constantly. And I couldn't figure out for the life of me what it was. I looked into the horizon. The castle was in view. We were almost home.

* * *

Destiny's P.O.V.

* * *

I was extremely nervous about this upcoming knight meeting as we headed back to the castle.

 _What would happen if they found out most of us were girls?! We'd be banished and ridiculed! At least the royals would be… the rest of us would be put to death…_ _And if Sir. Malory was there?! He'd recognize Christina's armor for sure!_

I couldn't bear to imagine seeing my dear forever friend, Christina, being found out by whom she thought was her true love, Sir Malory. He would probably 'accidently' spill everything in front of a bunch of other knights. As much as I despised Malory, I played my cards wisely around him because I knew anything gone wrong around him would immediately have consequences on Christina. Before the last tree covering us from plain sight, I ran in front of everyone and stopped them.

"Destiny, what gives?!" asked Evelyn.

"Yeah! We don't want to be late for the knights' special meeting!" agonized Andrew.

"Guys, think this through. What if someone asked who we are, and where we've been? We'll be stuck in the same spot as when we left," I notioned.

"You could tell them what you told the knights earlier!" assumed Christina.

"And in the meeting?" I questioned further. "There'll be more knights to try and convince! We have to be ready."

Everyone else started feeling uneasy.

 _What did I do?_ _Did my sudden attitude as appointing myself leader under the circumstances make them think badly of me?_ _I guess being leader just isn't my role in this group..._

I sighed. "Okay. Um, Olivia?"

"Huh? Yeah?"

"Can your map possibly show a secret passageway from around here to our secret training room?"

I reverted back to the Destiny everyone has always seen me be. Polite, kind, and sutle.

"Sure!" She seemed pleased to be of use.

"Perfect!" cried Savannah. "Lead the way Olivia!"

The arrow on the map led us all the way around the castle. I realized we were at the back. Finally, it rested as we stood in front of a large boulder.

"This can't be it!" Cleopatra exclaimed, frustrated. "It's just a big, stupid rock!"

Fiona looked hurt. "Don't hurt it's feelings! It might be a big bear in disguise!"

Genevieve face palmed. "Why is everyone in this group so obsessed with bears?!"

Now Savannah looked offended. "What's wrong with that?!"

Everyone looked at her.

"Uh… Never mind…" She shyly backed away.

I could have sworn I heard crickets chirping.

"Well then…" Cassandra mumbled. "...This is awkward…"

I approached the big boulder that was covered in moss.

 _Why does everything around me lately seem so familiar?_ I repeated once again to myself.

I scraped some of the green, fuzzy substance off the boulder. There was a glowing image underneath! All my comrades joined in except for Cleopatra, who crossed her arms stubbornly.

"No way am I going to ruin my manicure for something that's probably completely pointless, not to mention _dirty_! It's a completely pointless, dirty rock!"

Soon enough, a carved design of swirls covered the huge stone. I detached my gauntlets from the rest of my suit of armor so I could touch the stone with my bare hands to examine the patterns further. My friends had no clue what I was doing and stared at me blankly. They probably thought I was crazy, but I became accustomed to that. I touched one end of the swirls. The engravings glowed blue-green! The boulder somehow magically rolled aside, leaving a wide open tunnel underneath!

"Whoa..."

"Okay, maybe it's not _completely_ pointless…" Cleopatra admitted.

"How'd you do that?!" Melissa wondered, awestruck.

"I-I don't know!" I stuttered, just as surprised as the others.

I looked down at my bare hands. _How_ did _I do that?_

"Well, who wants to take the lead?" I asked uncertainly.

Andrew started waving his hand rapidly through the air. "Me, me, me!"

"Maybe Olivia should lead. She did lead us this way," rationalized Genevieve, obviously trying to prevent Andrew from further danger.

We entered down into the darkness, and soon enough, reached a dead end.

"So much for that." Michael seemed to be getting creeped out. "Well, let's go back the way we came from."

"Hold on," I whispered, everyone waiting for what I had to say next in anticipation.

 _Why does this all seem so familiar?_ I asked myself again.

I didn't had to remove my gauntlets again, since I was holding them separately with my right hand, dragging my left fingers up to this dead end. I felt the cold brick wall. It didn't feel the same.

 _The same brick surrounding our secret room!_ _How is that even possible?!_

As if the stone wall knew, it slid aside like a door and revealed our training room. Everyone was in shock, and I couldn't blame them.

 _If there are so many hidden passageways_. _There are many ways to sneak in the castle…_

But there was no time to think further.

"Christina," I called out over the rest of our group. "I need to talk to you one on one."

Christina stared at me quizzically, as we walked back a bit down the tunnel, away from the others.

"Okay. You might not like this, but I feel like Malory will recognize us," I started.

"But Sir Malory's on our side!" she exclaimed, surprised and almost offended.

I pursed my lips, expecting this reaction out of her. "I know, but the other knights are not. If Malory, just by accident, reveals that we're girls, we'll be at their mercy."

Oftentimes, it was difficult for me to make her face reality. It took her awhile to take it all in.

 _It would be a lot for me to take in if I were her.._.

After a few minutes, she finally nodded in agreement.

"So what's the plan?" she asked, slightly depressed.

I knew exactly how to keep Malory from recognizing us and cheer Christina up at the same time.

"How about everyone switches armor?" I suggested offhandedly.

She grinned. "We'll all look pretty funny!"

I smiled. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go tell the rest of our group!"

Seeing Christina's grin always make me do the same.

"Everyone! We've got a plan!" Christina declared, smiling mischievously.

Everyone gathered in a close circle, curious. They had no idea what was coming their way. Frankly, neither did I...


	4. A Lesson in Acting

_**Hello readers! If you're reading the Author's Notes, remember my writing is in italic!**_

 **Hi guys! Unfortunately, there's some kind of block going on for me for this story right now...I just...don't know what to write i:... So, you can thank the Mystery Writer for this chapter :) I'll let her give you her hint now.**

 _ **Hi everyone! You may not consider the following a hint at first, but it's a really good one once you figure out my so called 'identity'. Since this chapter is about acting, let me relate that principle on how this story writing started:**_

 _ **This story all started with a simple game in Wizard101 some good friends made up, which originally came from AlliyahTheAuthor decorating her dorm room a certain way. One player played as the princess, and further characters were added from there. These ideas our author here came up with while acting became stories, and so this one began.**_

 _ **A spark of imagination turning into a roaring, page-turner of a fire.**_

 **It's true :) I miss those days sometimes...Anyway, hope you (adore ;) ) the following chapter.**

* * *

Michael's P.O.V.

* * *

"We're gonna what?!" everyone screamed in surprise.

"But I don't wanna be in girl's armor!" whined Andy.

"And this was custom made outfit meant just for me!" Cleopatra added in vain. "Must we do this?"

Christina rolled her eyes.

"It's not just for my personal enjoyment," she giggled. "It's also so Destiny and I don't get recognized!"

"Then how about only you two and two others switch?" Cassandra planned out.

"Well, then it wouldn't be completely fair. I hope I get switched with some good armor!" Fiona aspired.

As reluctant as I was, because I didn't want to end up in girl's armor either, we all switched armor. I ended up with Christina's.

Cassandra, wearing Genna's armor, clapped enthusiastically. "Okay! Now we can begin!"

* * *

Destiny's P.O.V.

* * *

"Yeah! Now that we've switched outfits, can we head to the meeting?" asked Olivia impatiently.

Everyone else seemed antsy to get there as well. Genevieve's wings sprouted out of her back again and she picked up Lapis from the ground, then safely holding it with both hands confidently.

 _We're not ready yet..._

"Hold on a second," stopped Melissa. "I don't want my brother to sound like Donald Duck again in front of a bunch of professional knights!"

We all agreed on that. I kind of pitied Michael.

 _Being the only member who would actually qualify as a knight must make him feel like an outcast_. _Even Andrew doesn't fit a knight's checklist being the youngest of us all. He would fit in the page or squire category though._

"How about you teach him to act Destiny?" Genevieve suggested sweetly. "After all, you did pretty well acting earlier today."

 _You have no idea how much acting I do daily, I kind of had a lot of practice..._

My head ached with guilt. I hated hiding so much from everyone, but they were waiting for me to answer. I couldn't let them down. Michael gulped.

 _I won't make him do anything that he feels uncomfortable doing, but then again, I've done that pretty much everyday… Why must this be my reality?_

I sighed, eventually giving in. "We'll, I guess we'll have enough time to practice before sundown."

Everyone squealed with delight.

 _Finally! From Mike the chicken to Mike the Knight!_

 _They'll never find out we were even there!_

 _I'm so excited!_

I groaned. _Great..._ _How many times has my mind reading come up today again?_

"Michael," I called, while trying to keep my mind under control.

He came forward awkwardly.

 _It might feel odd trying to act for the first time in his life in front of his friends. They seem to have high expectations..._

And they did. Their expectations flooded into my head like a river overflowing. I decided that we'd go into another room, to much of the others' disappointment.

One: To save both Mike and I from embarrassment in front of our friends,

Two: These thoughts were taking over my brain and I couldn't teach in this kind of state.

Once we reached another ancient, unused, empty chamber, we both sighed in relief.

* * *

Michael's P.O.V.

* * *

 _Phew! Glad I'm out of all that pressure, well, sort of._ Though I felt relieved, I knew I would have to go back and act like a super brave and tough knight. _Easier said than done..._

"I may not be the best acting teacher out there, but I'll do my best to help you out," reassured Destiny.

I shuffled anxiously. "Okay. Where do we start?"

I may have sounded excited, but in reality, I was terrified inside and just wanted to get this over with.

She started the lesson with a hesitant question. "Um… How do you want yourself to be, and how do you think others see you?"

 _Is this some kind of trial?_ _Is she trying to make me admit I have fears?_ I considered it for a moment. _Nah. Destiny is just trying to help me, and this might help. Besides, no one else was nearby to overhear._

These walls were so thick, it's like they're soundproof!

"Well, I want to be like the Penguins of Madagascar. You know, brave, professional, and awesome! But I think most see me as a klutz and a failure as a person," I confessed with shame.

"Well, when it comes to acting, you can become who you want to be," she expressed artistically. "You don't have to be what others think you are as you become a completely different character."

 _Hmm... Never thought of acting that way_. _I've always considered acting as a better term for lying and hiding your true feelings..._

"Now, this might be hard for you," she warned in advance. "But picture yourself back during the scariest moment of your life."

 _Hmm. Which one to choose from?_ I internally groaned.

I decided to go with being locked in a room with a bunch of Kroks that would wake up and get me any second, even though that probably wasn't even close. But, it was pretty darn near. Destiny looked at the floor. I was only able to catch a glimpse of her face full of sadness before she faced it to the floor. It was as if she were genuinely mourning for King Julien's fake death.

 _What is up with her?_

She raised her head by up to face me before I could worry for her. "Got it?"

I nodded in reply.

"Now, replace yourself with who you want to be," she guided. "What would those penguins do?"

I thought for second. "Skipper would say; 'No one's gonna die', and then they'd attack those mummies till they're dead again!"

"Okay. Now, think of the worse thing that could happen to you in the meeting."

 _Where to start?_ I groaned again. _I've got to choose between all the possibilities if I want to learn to act brave._

But I had to push through this ordeal if I could ever improve myself.

 _Probably being revealed as a boy in girl armor in front of all the real knights_. _That would be super embarrassing!_

Destiny looked at me as if she read my thoughts. "And instead of acting like yourself, I don't know, feeling flustered, nervous, or scared, act as the penguins would."

"You mean angry, find their curiosity unprofessional, and slap them in the face?"

"Exactly!" She seemed rather pleased with my progress.

"Huh. Really? I thought this lesson would be harder than that..."

"Let's act it out to make sure you got it," she suggested, drawing out Savannah's borrowed sword. "I'm a bold, strong, intimidating knight you've never seen before and would have never thought you'd face."

She covered her face with Savannah's visor. Somehow, she managed to take off the helmet I was wearing with the tip of her thin blade, throwing it across the room and leaving me and the helmet both unscratched!

I gaped in awe. _I need her to teach me that move..._

"Hide that stunned look. Everyone is looking at you. What do the penguins say and do?"

I knew what I had to do. "What's your problem, dude?! Don't you know that's disrespectful?"

I took Christina's sword out with my left arm, and charged towards the man who had insulted me. I growled.

 _He'll regret doing that!_

My opponent blocked the attack with ease, surprisingly using his left hand like me. I thought I would have had the advantage considering swordsmanship was always a right-handed sport. Left-handed people would be considered cursed or something of the sort. The right were always right, which is why I often considered myself flawed… But this unworthy excuse of a knight was different. This man was purely evil. He was trying to blow my cover and consequently put all the friends I had at risk _on purpose_. I couldn't help but snarl. He smiled, but I interpreted it as a smirk. I couldn't tell for sure with the bars of his visor covering what must have been his devilish face. He spun the sword I used around my wrist with expertise until I lost grip of it. It ended up with its blade pinned into the cold, old stone ground. I was defenseless.

 _Oh no._ My worrisome self came back to me, putting my arms up to surrender. _I am_ so _dead..._

The knight pointed his sword at me, and then raised his visor. At the sight of Destiny's face, I remembered it was all just an act. I sighed in relief, leaning on the wall for support.

"Now that," she winked, "was a perfect play!"

 _I think I might actually be able to do this,_ I realized in amazement. _Except for the fact I'd be dead right if that were real…_

I sighed before we headed back to meet with the others back at our hideout. Everyone greeted us, wanting to know how it went.

"I think we may have a star actor here," Destiny responded confidently. "He knows his personality, characters, and role extremely well. He just needs to follow that lead."

"Referring to characters I've watched in shows I like makes it a whole lot easier," I clarified, proud of what I have accomplished.

 _Hopefully I can do it again…_

I looked around at the Knights of the Silver Rose's faces. They were counting on me. I _had_ to do it again.


	5. The Mystery Meeting

_**Hello there readers! :D**_

 _ **Sorry. No flashback with AlliyahtheAuthor today. l; Got an announcement regarding my other storyline**_ _ **The Knights of the Rainbow Heart**_ _ **.**_

 _ **For ALL those reading, please, please, PLEASE try and answer the questions I pose in my author's notes in those chapters.**_

 _ **I await your opinions.**_

 _ **Lisalynd, Writer of Many Names**_

* * *

Christina's P.O.V.

* * *

 _Finally!_ _Time for this meeting to begin!_

"Still one problem…" Mia stated bluntly. "We have no idea where the meeting is being held!"

Just about everyone's face fell.

"Guys!" Olivia waved her map in the air. "Have we all forgotten I have this?!"

I face palmed. "Of course! Sorry. Lead on Olivia!"

Olivia put it up to her face. "Show us to the meeting!"

Nothing happened. She frowned.

"Map? You in there?" Olivia shook it a couple times, as if trying to wake it up.

Still nothing.

"Is it broken?" Fiona asked, peaking at it. "Ask it about ice-cream again… I want to see _something_ happen."

"Now's not the time, Fiona!" reasoned Olivia. "I'm not going to ask the map 'Where is the ice-cream shop?' aga-!" She was cut off by the blinking pointer re-appearing on the map again.

"Huh…" Evelyn muttered.

"At least it's not broken!" stated Cassandra optimistically.

Olivia stared resentfully at it. "Now how are we going to get there?"

Destiny chuckled. "I suppose we'll have to do things the old fashioned way!"

"Teleport like wizards?" Savvy proposed idealistically.

"Nope."

Savvy appeared relieved at that. "Oh phew. Good. I did some previous research on teleportation magic, but the little info I gathered made, like, zero sense."

"Yeah. None of us clearly know how magic in Avalon works exactly," reaffirmed Mia.

"Though we do have the tendency to encounter it a lot," realized Mike. "I kind of wish it would stop happening…"

Cleopatra looked down at her amulet. "Should I try to summon Ra and ask him?"

"Nah. I don't think we should bother him, being the Krokotopian god of all gods," Destiny wisely explained.

"What about give up?!" Evelyn suggested, losing hope.

"No!" Destiny exclaimed, burying her face in her hands. "We're going to have to ask!"

Honestly, I hated that idea, even though I considered it earlier. It made us look bad. If we were truly part of Avalon's general group of knights, wouldn't we know where it was? I bet the other knights have been to wherever the meeting was being held before. I sighed, and rested my hand on a light blue colored tile in the center of the room. Suddenly, the floor split in two!

As we fell a good story or two down, we all screamed, "AHHHHHH!"

Well, except for Andrew who was yelling, "FUN!"

Finally, we landed on a table. I gasped. We were in the center of about two dozen knights, all staring at us, shocked.

 _Holy Jabberwocky…_

"You-you made it…" stuttered a voice from the crowd of knights.

I stood up, and climbed off the table nervously. The rest of the Knights of the Silver Rose followed my lead.

I tried to laugh in a deep and manly voice. "Heh, heh…"

I hardly fooled myself, but the knights didn't kill me, so that was a good sign.

"That we did," I finished.

I heard whispering... uneasy whispering. _That_ wasn't a good sign.

"Where did you come from?" tried another knight.  
"The floor," Cassandra, wearing Genna's armor, stated honestly.

Her fake guy voice was hardly any better than mine. How would we ever keep our true identities a secret?

* * *

Michael's P.O.V.

* * *

 _Oh no. We really should have thought this through,_ I almost panicked as I usually would.

Until Destiny whispered to me. "Follow my lead."

I knew she was good at acting, but it would take a miracle to get us out of this mess. But I had to trust her.

"Excuse us for our tardiness men," Destiny apologized in her convincing, low, monotone voice. "But our encounter with the beast in the Weirwood took longer than expected. Isn't that right Michael?"

My turn to play my part.

 _Don't blow it Mike!_ _How would_ _Kowalski answer Skipper?_

"Affirmative sir!" I responded almost immediately.

"Oh yes!" agreed Andrew. "It was at least double the size of this very castle!"

"And it kept turning to and from shadow form," added in Olivia her lowest voice possible.

"Don't forget all that thick brown-black fur!" invented Savannah, imitating Olivia's gruff voice.

"My, my," commented a knight as he got out of his seat to stand. "And how did you defeat this extravagant beast?"

He was twice my size!

 _Uh oh…_ _This is just like the enactment Destiny and I practiced earlier, only this time, it's for real! Our tall tales are about to get the best of us…_

"Uh-" Christina started.

"-That has no importance at the moment," interrupted Destiny. "We are only knights in a village so tiny it is pretty much unknown. It is located at the opposite side of the Weirwood from here. But that is besides the point."

"One of you invited us to come here to state business." I finished informatively.

I must admit, I was doing a pretty good job so far.

"Where is that knight we saw earlier today?" demanded Evelyn seriously, banging her fist onto the table.

"You must excuse me," pardoned the knight we bumped into this morning. "I thought they were one of us. I'm Sir Malory!"

He bowed. I could've sworn he winked at me.

 _Weirdo…_

* * *

Christina's P.O.V.

* * *

 _Wow._ _It was Malory who stopped us?_ I felt like hitting myself on the head. _How didn't I recognize his armor?_

Never mind that. The real question was: WHY WAS HE WINKING AT MIKE?!

Fury raised inside me. Who did Mike think he was, stealing Malory?! Malory was _mine_. Whatever the case was, I had to keep an eye on this situation. And if possible, stop it! With that in mind, the whole mess of a meeting began. The knights sat back down while, we stood standing since there were no seats for us.

"Let's continue the meeting…" decided a knight.

Malory seemed to want to object, but before he could say anything, another knight began to speak. "So, how shall we kill-"

"Kill the great stinky beast in Weirwood?" Malory chuckled uneasily. "Why, that's silly. That has obviously already been taken care of! Heh-heh..."

The knight grew a baffled look. "No, sir, I mean-"

Malory cut the knight off. "You know what? Let's talk about something else. Oh. If you'll excuse me, this knight and I have something to discuss in private."

He dragged Mike down a hall behind him. I raised an eye-brow. What was he going to do? I decided I'd follow him. But how would I get out? Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.

"Excuse me," I announced, trying to imitate what a man would sound like once again. "I have to go use the little lady's - I mean knight's! - room."

Mia choked, trying not to laugh. The knights seemed to be a little weirded out, but they accepted my excuse and gave me permission to leave. I went up a short staircase and followed Mike and Malory down a cramped tunnel, opening up to a hallway. Finally, they stopped walking. I hid behind a corridor leading to another hall.

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" I heard Malory flirt. "Because you're an angel!"

Mike slowly backed away. "Uh..."  
Malory winked. "Cupid called. He said he needs you to give me my heart back…"  
"What are you even talking about?!" flustered Mike.

Malory leaned in, and took my helmet off of Mike's face with his eyes closed. I gasped. He was going to _kiss_ him! Before he could though, Mike did something I would have never expected to do. He punched Malory right in the face!

"What is wrong with you man?" he cried in a fury. "You're disgusting!"

He stormed back where we came after grabbing my helmet back from the stunned Malory.

 _I guess Mike wasn't after Malory like I thought_... _At least, not the way I expected._

I must admit, as much as it must have hurt Malory's ego, I found it just a little funny. I stifled a giggle. Before I made myself visible to them, I made sure my helmet didn't reveal my face.

"I heard fighting here. What happened?" I tried to stay as serious as possible, but that was challenging after seeing what had just happened.

"And this guy calls himself a knight?! Please," Mike scoffed, then realized it was me.

I could tell he was blushing underneath my helmet and we quickly walked back to the room where the other knights talked.

Mike made a deal with me. "We are never speaking of this again, okay?"

As hilarious as the incident was, I didn't want to risk the chance of anyone figuring out that I almost lost it, being the leader of our group and all, so I agreed. "Never ever!"

 _I have to admit,_ _it must have taken a lot to bring out Mike's courage. It was almost like magic at work! That was a figure of speech, of course… But what if it wasn't? I'm not sure of anything when Destiny's involved anymore, it feels like..._

We reached the knights' meeting room before I could ponder any further. The Knights of the Silver Rose were relieved that we didn't take long. They didn't seem to have gathered any information out of these knights as they were playing chess, probably awaiting Malory to take the lead. Out of nowhere, dust swept over the room, and turned into a whirlwind!

Cleo wailed, "Ah!"

Hopefully, the other knights thought she was just a guy with a high pitched scream.

"Andy!" Genevieve panicked, trying to fly to him, fighting against the wind.

"Don't call me that around a bunch of knights!" pouted Andy, temporarily crossing his arms before flailing all over the place again.

Cassandra flapped her wings hard as well, but the whirlwind was simply too strong.

 _What is going on?!_

I clung as hard as I could onto a chair held down by another knight sitting on it as if the whirlwind weren't affecting him in the least. He laughed evilly, and pushed both my hands off. With nothing to hold onto, I was sucked into the spinning whirlwind with my fellow Knights of the Silver Rose.


	6. Girl Armour Fever!

_**I was kind of on the fence when it came to posting this chapter, but, in the end, I just had to for old times' sake.**_

 **Today, lovely readers, we have a special kind of chapter! It's just a tiny bit of a break from the main storyline, though still connected. and it's a goofy little thing to keep you interested while we work on the next one XD. Also because we were talking about it while writing last chapter and couldn't help but do this XD**

 _ **Hope you like it! Oh! Before I forget, here's your hint:**_

 _ **I love designing costumes and making them come to life! People think I don't have good taste in modern fashion, but that's what makes my style unique ;) I actually made my own costume for Halloween this year! It was probably my greatest accomplishment ever! It was a musketeer costume ;D**_

 **Okay, now you can read it :D!**

 _ **Yeah, I know, I edited the original Author's Note, removing the Morse Code warning for the next chapter. But I'm removing that as well just so you guys can get to reading. Now do as AllyiahtheAuthor says and read this chapter! XD**_

* * *

Christina's P.O.V.

* * *

Finally, after a long sleep, I got out of bed. I stretched tiredly.

"Yaragoblitobbbb…"

For some reason, I had a strange feeling. I couldn't quite place my finger on it, but I felt as if today would be an unusual day.

I scolded myself. _Don't be silly!_ _You and your best friend are in charge of a group of female knights who go about doing a whole bunch of weird things every day! What could possibly happen?_

I had absolutely no idea...

I went down the long stairs of the castle, not going down the railings today. I was far too tired for that, and no red velvet rose shaped pancakes to motivate me didn't help. I couldn't help but notice the eerie silence. No one's here! Not even the usual castle guards.

 _Where could everyone be?_

"Destiny?!" I called out uncertainly.

No one answered. She'd usually come to wake me up. That fact alone made this morning more unusual than usual.

 _Maybe she's practicing sword fighting in the courtyard with a dummy or our companions…_

So, I walked to the courtyard, in hope of finding at least one of my friends. Even though she wasn't there, someone else I knew was.

"Malory!" I cried. "What in the crown's name are you _wearing?!_ "

There he stood, wearing bright purple armor with butterflies all over it. It was a rather tight fit for him, and had a more curvy figure to it than his regular armor. He took off his helmet, and flipped his hair over his head. Need I mention the purple sparkles that flew out of it as he took it off?

"This," he started, "Is the newest trend of armor!"

"What do you _mean_?" I asked disgustedly, staring at one of the glittery butterflies.

"Some knights fell into a private meeting wearing different armor than usual. _That's_ what I mean!"

He winked as I just shook my head.

 _What in Avalon is going on?_

"Um, have you seen Destiny, or anyone else for that matter?" I hoped. "I can't find anyone!"

"Try," he paused then finished dramatically, "the drawbridge!"

With that, I left the courtyard, and headed out to the drawbridge. Thankfully, I found Fiona, Cassandra, and Savannah straight away, all of them wearing their armor and comparing theirs to two castle guards who didn't seem to even notice them. They were wearing the same style armor Malory had, just with flowers.

"By the Lady of the Lake!" I exclaimed, backing up and bumping into Fiona. "Sorry!"

"No problem," she assured me, moving slightly out of the way, then whispering to me, "Do you have any idea what's going on here?"

Cassandra was staring at the brightly colored flowers growing out of the guards armor, poking one of them.

"How is that even _possible_?" she murmured.

I shrugged as to answer both questions. "Malory said something about knights falling into a meeting with armor like that, and that it started a trend…"

Savannah's eyes widened. "Our armor isn't _nearly_ that bad!"

"I know right?" added an irritated Fiona. "This is just offending!"

"Uh…" Cassandra mumbled. "Guys? Look over there!"

In the distance where Cassandra was pointing, knights everywhere we could see were all wearing girly armor! This girl armor trend was spreading like a fever!

An explanation popped into my mind. "That's it! Everyone has been infected with Girl Armor Fever!"

Cassandra, Fiona, and Savannah were all staring off into the distance.

Savannah's gaze wandered into the sky. "I think we broke the balance of nature by going to that meeting…"

I nodded.

"We have to look for survivors!" Fiona panicked. "Oh my ice cream!"

Her exclamation caught all our attention. "What is it?!"

She turned her head to us, eyes wide with disbelief. "What if…"

"If what?!" We waited in suspense.

"What if Mike and Andrew have been infected?!" worried Fiona.

We charged back into the castle. The castle was so huge, they could be anywhere! We had to find them and prevent them from getting infected!

"Andrew!" Fiona shouted.  
"Mike!" yelled Savannah.

Where could they possibly be?

"Okay, guys…" I panted, out of breath. "I think you know what we need to do..."  
Cassandra nodded. "We have to split up."

"Okay, Cassandra, go west. Fiona, head east. Savannah go south of the castle," I strategized. "I'll check North!"

I ran back up the stairs and was about to pass my dad's room when I heard armor clanking from his gigantic chambers. I hesitantly knocked on the wide doors.

A disturbing idea took over. _Oh no…_ _Now dad's infected?!_

"Dad? Are you okay?"

No response.

Finally, I mustered up the courage to open the doors. King Artorius stood, staring out the window. It was too shadowy to tell whether he had the fever or not.

"Dad?"

He spun around.

"Oh em gee! Wassup Christina?!" he squealed, in a high pitched falsetto voice.

I started screaming hysterically, unfortunately now sounding identical to him. He was wearing rainbow armor with unicorns and fairies all over it!

"Your dress is totes to die for!" he exclaimed, sounding all fangirly.

I stepped back, my hand searching behind me for the doorknob.

"LET'S TAKE A SELFIE!" he declared.

I almost screamed again, but then halted in confusion. "What are selfies?"

He paused. "Oh yeah, they only exist on Earth! Plot-hole..."

"What do you mean plot-hole?" I asked, wide-eyed. "Not like this is a book!"  
He started giggling. "Heh heh, yeah, totally not! Oh I know! VAN GOGH GET OVER HERE!"

Vincent Van Gogh rushed in, holding an easel, canvas, and paint brush. My dad went and whispered something in his only ear.

Van Gogh's eyes bulged. "Are you sure m'lord? Are you feeling well?"

"Jabberwocky!" King Artorius exclaimed exasperatedly. "PAINT THE SELFIE ALREADY! Christina, come and pose with me!"

I walked over with a heavy heart. I knew I would regret this. My dad threw a peace sign and flicked his leg in the air.

He whispered in my ear, "Hold still. This should take a couple hours…"

I cringed. Why did I _have_ to pick North?

* * *

Savannah's P.O.V.

* * *

Thankfully, I didn't have to find the Nyan Cat Bros alone. I bumped into Destiny and Genna almost as soon as we split up. Luckily, they were wearing their armor as well, so they weren't hurt in the least. Then that got me thinking. Did the armourer make all those new girl styled armor sets? How would he have been capable of making flowers grow out of them? How could he have created all this armor in so little time? It didn't make sense...

"Have you seen those-?" Genna started.

"-knights infected with Girl Armor Fever? Unfortunately yes," I finished for her.  
"That's what we're calling them?" Destiny asked, scratching her head after removing her helmet. "Let me guess. Christina came up with that?"  
I nodded. "How did you guess?"

She smiled knowingly. "I have my ways…"

I raised my eyebrows a bit, but then was reminded of the task at hand. "Have any of you seen Mike or Andy?"

Genna shook her head worriedly. "I thought you knew where Andy was! Oh no! What if-"

"-he's been infected?" finished Destiny. "Let's hope not..."

We both stared at her in wonderment.

"How do you do that?" I wondered, awestruck.

"Do what?"

"Know how to finish our sentences," clarified Genna.

She blushed a little. "Like I said, I have my ways…"

"Anyways," steered Genna, getting back to the important matters. "We've _got_ to find them!"

A couple minutes later, we ended up near the entrance to the castle again. Apparently, we had just gone in a circle! I face palmed. This castle was so huge, how would we ever find them?

Destiny huddled us together. "Is that... them?"

She was pointing at two figures, one was Mike's height, and one was Andy's.

I nodded slowly. "I think so…"

We walked over to the figures, who were staring ever so intently at a wall, and tapped their shoulders uneasily. "Hello?"

Andy and Mike flipped their heads around at the exact same times. Their faces were stuck in a grin which was honestly _extremely_ creepy. They both wore armor that had poptart cats and a sky with shimmering stars. Their armor reminded me of something…

"Ah!"  
"Andrew!" Genna became overwrought. "Stop smiling like that!"

They turned their heads back to the wall.

"Girl...Armor...Fever…" Mike mumbled in a trance.

"Totally...meow…fabulous..." Andy's voice resembled that of a zombie.

Finally! The poptart cats made sense! They were Nyan Cats!

 _Nyan Cat bros…_ I couldn't help but think.

How are we ever going to cure this?!

* * *

Fiona's P.O.V.

* * *

I felt like I was going in circles.

 _This place is like a maze!_ _Why can't it just be one big hall like the meeting room in Grizzleheim?_

I turned around the corner, and found Olivia and Mia questioning two knights. They were wearing their usual outfits though.

 _Good move on their part,_ I approved, then looked down at my armor. _Wish I had done the same…_

After a bit of a wait, they finally terminated their trial. It was then I revealed myself to them.

"Olivia! Evelyn! Mia! Am I glad to see some familiar faces," I sighed in relief, too relieved to mask it.

"Oh! Hi Fiona!" greeted Mia.

"We were just trying to find out what's with the get-up with all these knights," Olivia explained.

I got them up to date. "It's Girl Armor Fever."

"Girl Armor Fever?" they all questioned at once.

I explained how the name came about while they retold the story of how some mysterious knights fell from the ceiling of the meeting room. I could tell they were well aware that _we_ were those knights as they had the same reaction as I did.

"Well, now that I found you three, we've got to meet up with the others," I explained in turn. "Only, I think I've lost my way in this maze."

"Well, that's what the map is for!" answered Olivia in delight.

I slapped myself on the head. _How could I forget?_

Olivia grinned. "We'll be at our friends' sides in no time."

Cassandra's P.O.V.

 _Hmm…_ I tried to think, passing a room filled with a bunch of guys busy chattering about how pretty they looked. _Thankfully, I think girls are immune to this fever…_

I looked down at my clothes. Yup, still gold. Nothing Girl Armor Fever related on me! Phew! I hovered further down the hall, and noticed Evelyn and Cleo standing in a corner wearing their usual outfits. They were staring at their nails and seemed to be discussing nail polish colors. I landed swiftly on the ground and walked up to them, waiting for them to notice me so we can discuss the emergency.

 _Now those girls might actually catch it, if they haven't already..._

Evelyn made a disgusted face. "I hate cyan nails…"  
"What?!" Cleo exclaimed, as if offended. "Those are my favorite!"  
"Th-they are?" Evelyn stuttered, regretting what she had just said. "Did I say hate? I meant love."

They talked for another minute, and made it clear they'd never notice me unless I said something.

"Ahem!" I cleared my throat.  
"Oh, hi, Cassandra…" acknowledged Evelyn, putting her hand up to her face.

"Have you two seen the knights yet?" I debriefed in a fury.

"Yes! They have a terribly eye for fashion," Cleo stated professionally.

"Wait. They did?" asked Evelyn. "I honestly didn't notice them. Been busy getting some fashion tips from Cleo."

"Uh, yeah!" Usually, it would take a lot to get me this frustrated, but apparently that was no problem for them. "Geez! Are you sure you too aren't affected by the 'Girl Armor Fever'?"

"The what now?" Evelyn questioned.

I rolled my eyes. _As if she didn't get the hint._

"Ugh! Just follow me," I grunted, dragging them back to the others with my wings.

* * *

Christina's P.O.V.

* * *

"Good thing my friends aren't here…" I mumbled, somewhat grateful.

"What? Friends?!" Dad asked excitedly starting to jump up and down. "Oh em gee!"

 _And I spoke too soon…_ I grumbled, regretting to have openly expressed myself. _Destiny should seriously teach me to bottle up my opinions since she does all the time…_

The painter interrupted my thoughts, yelling, "Hold still!"  
Dad returned back to his pose. "We have to get them! Then we can have a group selfie! Guards!"

All the knights appeared in front of each with the wacky styled armor.

I gagged. _I think I'm getting sick just looking at them._

"Bring my daughter's friends here at once so we can have a group selfie! Oh! And don't forget my wife Gwendolyn!"

Before I could stop them, they all rushed out the door and almost immediately got back holding my friends, most in their armor, and others in their usual change of clothes.

 _Oh no.._. _This better be a dream or else we're done for._

"Hey! What's happening?!" Mike suddenly cried in fright.

"Wow. _Now_ you snap out of it Mike?" cried Mia in frustration and hopelessness.

"Um, why am I dangling from a knight's hand? And why is that knight and I wearing, yuck, girl armor?" Andrew added, disgusted.

"What in all of Avalon is going on in here?!" cried a female voice.

It was mom!

 _From the looks of it, she doesn't seem very happy..._

You do _not_ want to see her in a rage.

She slammed the big doors open and then slammed back closed. " _ARTORIUS!"_

Evelyn's P.O.V.

We all woke up with a start in a huge pile on the floor of our training room.

 _That was so weird! Was I the only one that visualized that?_

"Guys," Mia asked. "Did anyone else just have the weirdest dream?"

We all stared at her.

"Okay then… I'll take all those stares as a yes."


	7. The Next Step

_**Hi! It's me! The Mystery Writer ;D Here's my hint for today:**_

 _ **As hard as I try to stay organized, I'm a total scatterbrain :P I tend to get distracted easily especially if I'm forced to do something I don't enjoy. But because I do find pleasure in this style of writing, I think we've been able to make a lot of progress since :)**_

 _ **Cutting the flashback short here once again. Didn't want to involve the Morse code part so you readers can just go on to reading! Enjoy!**_

* * *

Cassandra's P.O.V.

* * *

My head was throbbing with pain. I couldn't help but moan.

"Owww…"

 _If that was a dream, it was probably the weirdest one yet._

Then I thought of what happened before that. Now, it seemed like such a long time ago. I would usually be able to fly against wind currents, but apparently not today, if it still is today.

Or is it?

I looked outside. It was getting dark.

 _Why couldn't I have done that and possibly saved all my friends?_

I looked at all my newfound friends all condensed in a pile of confusion. Genna's wings stood out before they disappeared along with her sword in the blink of an eye.

 _Note to self: Give that girl some flying lessons_. _She seems to have a lot of potential after crashing into the castle wall. That was pretty awesome!_

I was the first to get my act together and help everyone else out of that jumbled mess.

"Everyone okay?" Mia asked, accepting my hand to help her up.

Everyone murmured and nodded their heads in agreement once we were all standing.

Christina muttered randomly, full of fright. "Dad took a selfie with my…"

Her face was blanched white with her mouth open wide before she froze. It was if she was petrified into the position of her inaudible scream of terror. After failing to catch her attention by frantically waving our arms in front of her face, I just grabbed her shoulders and shook her back into existence.

"Snap out of it Christina!" I wailed with all my might.

After what seemed like forever, she finally got out of it. "Sorry… Whatever happened pretty much played out all my fears of getting this secret girls knight group caught. I don't want to that to happen at all costs..."

Destiny rested her hand on Christina's shoulder reassuringly. She didn't say a thing, but I guess it was one of those moments where actions spoke louder than words.

 _It's like she knows Christina inside and out… Of course she does! She's been her friend since forever and co-leads with her Why wouldn't she have the same fears for this group as well?_

"Wonder why we all had the same weird dream..." Savannah pondered. "I don't think every knight in Avalon was in that gathering. Only a handful. My original group of knight friends weren't there."

"Savvy," interrogated Christina. "Mind telling us about your _other_ knight friends?"

We all sat in a circle, waiting for her to answer.

"Okay. You guys remember me mentioning that I was already a knight, right?"

We all nodded.

"Well before joining this group, I was with them along with the twins."

We all knew which pair she was referring to. We all turned our heads towards Mike and Mia. Mia gave a sheepish smile and waved timidly, which was uncharacteristic for her, while Mike suddenly found that looking at a corner was _very_ interesting. Savannah brought out focus back to her as she continued.

"I don't know if I-we still are though…" she admitted with a sigh. "I-we've been isolating myself-ourselves from them all day…"

Christina hugged her cousin. "Aw… Savvy, you can go back to them if you're such an important member to them. Same goes for you Mike, Mia. As long as none of you don't tell anyone about this secret girls' knight society."

Savannah shook her head. "But I really like this group too! The adventure, new mysteries, not to mention spending time with my cousin and her friends."

"I agree," piped up Mia. "This is really exciting! How could we drop all this?! I want to go through the thrill ride and see where we end up! I mean, who would just leave in the middle of a mystery! Right Mike?"

Mike rubbed the shoulder Mia just punched, but then straightened his back, stoically serious. "This is all a bit too much craziness for my liking… but it's not like going back will be any different. We'll have to go back to the way things were eventually, but for now, I'm actually proud to say I'm a knight! That's one thing checked off my bucket list."

Christina wasn't afraid to hide her smile and pride.

"Speaking about mysteries," reeled in Olivia. "Let's discuss about the 'meeting'."

"Yeah. What happened back there while I was gone?" Mike wanted to know.

"While you were gone with that other knight, the other knights pretty much put their meeting on hold," summed up Fiona.

"Yeah. They were like: 'Gotta wait for the boss to come back. Chess anyone?'" Mia re-enacted.

We all rolled on the floor laughing. It _was_ pretty ridiculous seeing a bunch of muscular Knights wasting their time playing chess when they were meant to be out there saving Avalon from who-knows-what.

Gemma was the first to speak again. "Who took you away anyways Mike? He must be the leader."

Christina answered for him, her eyes in a dreamy state. "Malory…"

Something told me that _someone_ had a crush on the boss.

"Sir Malory?!" Destiny bolted upright.

Her reaction was a complete contrast compared to Christina's. Unlike her usual self, she didn't seem lenient, forgiving, or calm under the circumstances. It made me feel uncomfortable as she started pacing.

"Destiny, you okay?" worried Christina. "You seem a bit… jumpy lately."

"Is there something you have against this 'Sir Malory' knight? You _do_ look a bit shifty…" noted Fiona.

"I don't know whether to be happy for Christina or worried for Destiny," whispered Cleo in my ear.

I nodded in agreement. With all her uneasy pacing, Destiny had us worried, making us all tense up a bit and stand up to try and make her relax.

She turned to us. "I'm fine… I'm just trying to puzzle out how we got back up here…"

"I think the better question is, how did we get down there?" Genna pointed out.

"Well," Christina hesitated. "There was this blue mosaic stone in the center of the room I accidently touched. The next thing I knew we, were in that meeting room!"

She pointed at it on the floor. Destiny stepped out of the crowd and knelt down to analyze the tile further.

"The Blue Knight..." Destiny started to murmur, but she didn't finish.

 _What in the spiral is she talking about?! Destiny sure has a way of being mysterious..._

"Well," she began, changing the topic. "Looks like us Knights of the Silver Rose got a lot of work ahead of us."

"What do you mean? We don't even know what we're gonna do next!" Andy complained.

"Can you clarify please?" Fiona asked, puzzled.

Destiny looked at us as if we were all clueless.

"First," she started, "We need to find out how we got in and out."

Cleo crossed her arms. "Isn't that part obvious?"

"Secondly," continued Destiny, ignoring that comment. "We have a whole village to make."

"What?!" I cried. "Why in the Zeus' name would we do that?"

"Because after that encounter, they'll wonder what we said about our origins are true, and if they don't see that proof, they might hunt us down and we'll be known as spies," she stated, matter of factly.

"Oh..."

 _Did she even know how much effort it takes to build a city?!_ I looked back at my own experience. _Born in the midst of construction of what we now know as Aquila today was pretty chaotic. Though the results were worth it, the process was ugly._

"So, does that mean we're gonna have to split up?" Genna worried, holding her brother tightly as he struggled to get out of her grip.

"Well, how about we each choose if we want to stay or go," Christina suggested.

"All those staying, raise your hand!" Mia declared.

Genna raised her hand and pulled Andrew's arm up, raising his. Mia and Mike willingly raised theirs too.

Cleo rolled her eyes, as if saying, _Why in the Spiral would I want to go?_ and raised her hand.

"And now, raise your hand if you want to go." auctioned Destiny.

Savannah, Olivia, Christina, Fiona, Evelyn, and I all raised our hands immediately.

"Destiny," Christina implied, "You didn't raise your hand for either choice."

"I don't know whether I should stay or go," she admitted truthfully.

I could imagine her going through a bunch of history books or exploring the forest for resources to built the fake village.

 _But either way, what was she truly searching for?_ I couldn't help but wonder. _Even though she seems honest, she seems to be hiding something constantly..._

"Okay, I've decided," Destiny spoke up. "I'll go to make sure you don't get yourself into any trouble Christina."

"It's gonna take more than just us to make this village," believed Olivia. "Is there anyone else we can trust that can help us? If they're really willing to support our cause, they might even be willing to join the Knights of the Silver Rose, if Destiny and Christina let them..."

"Oh my Lady of the Lake!" Christina cried.  
"What is it?" I asked.

Her green eyes became so wide, I thought they were going to burst!

"Justin!" randomly named Christina.

"Justin who?" Olivia asked.

"Justin Stableboy! I mean, Justin _the_ stableboy." She blushed.

Genna looked at her curiously. "Who's that?"

"Oh! I remember him!" Destiny cried in delight. "He's really sweet. You'll all love him. Especially Michael and Andrew."

"A very dear friend of mine…" she had a far away, a misty look in her eyes. "I haven't seen him in quite some time since we started this knight business…"

* * *

Christina's P.O.V.

* * *

A flashback took over.

 **Inside the stable, I was chatting with a dark haired boy as he groomed one of the horses. This particular horse was named Jack.**

" **Hey, Justin?" I asked him.  
** " **Yes?" he inquired.**

 **I rested my head on my hands, and stared at the horse's eyes. It seemed like they could be thinking of anything. How did people like Justin tame such unpredictable creatures?**

 **I turned to him. "Can you teach me to ride a horse?"**

 **He looked up, and stopped grooming Jack. "Serious?"**

 **I made a begging motion.**

 **Justin grinned. "I thought you'd never ask!"**

 **A couple minutes later, he had finally picked out a suitable horse. He insisted on having a calm one, though I would have preferred one with more of a personality.**

 **Out of the stable, he held the reigns of Tammy. She had silky gray fur, and her eyes were half glazed over. I crossed my arms.**

 **I stuck my tongue out. "Is it even possible for you to have picked a more boring horse?"**

 **He rolled his eyes at me. "You do understand horses with too much feist can hurt you, right?"**

" **Now you sound like my father!" I complained.**

 **Justin winced. We both knew how protective and over-controlling my father was of me.**

" **Fine…" he gave in. "But if you get seriously injured, be sure to tell your father that!"**

 **I clapped, and he brought out a pure black horse. It's hair was deep red.**

" **Perfect!" I cried.**

 **The horse glared dangerously at me. Justin noticed the immediate hatred in the horse.**

 **He gave me a look that clearly expressed,** _ **I told you so…**_

 **I walked slowly to the horse.**

" **What's her name?" I asked.**

" **Rosy," Justin stated. "But don't think that name makes her innocent…"**

 **I smiled, and put my hand closer to the horse. It was hovering above her nose. Rosy neighed and jumped upward. I leaped back.**

" **Shh, Rosy, it's okay!" soothed Justin. "This is Christina, she's nice… Don't worry…"**

 **The horse seemed to settle down at his voice.**

 _ **I suppose working at a stable with the horses would mean getting them to trust you,**_ **I suspected.**

" **How am I going to get you on there?" Justin mumbled.**

 **He tied Rosy to a wooden peg, then hurried to the stables to grab something. He came back with a stool.**

" **This might help," he grunted as he placed the stool steadily beside Rosy.**

 **Justin kept Rosy still as I tried to mount the huge horse. However, once I got comfortably on her, Justin lost grip, and Rosy went on her two hind legs!**

" **Ah!" I shrieked, hanging onto the reins for dear life.**

 **I almost slid off! Thankfully, she went back on all four legs. Not so thankfully, she started running as fast as she possibly could! She ripped the peg out of the ground by pure force, and sped away, while I was hanging onto her wild red mane for dear life.**

" **Christina!" Justin hollered.**

 **My entire fourteen year old life flashed before my eyes. All of a sudden, black and red feathered wings burst out of the horse's sides!**

 _ **Oh no!**_ **I panicked.** _**Now I'm on a flying crazy horse?!**_

 **Rosy flapped her gigantic wings, and she flew into the sky. Beneath us, I spotted Justin charging forward on Jack.**

" **Rosy!" he called. "Calm down!"**

 **This time, Rosy didn't listen to him. She ran on thin air, her wings giving her higher and higher altitude. I knew at any moment I would fall, and there would be no more me.**

 _ **Why couldn't I have just taken the boring horse?**_ **I regretted.**

 **Rosy started going faster. I finally lost my hold on the horse's reins.**

" **Ah!" I wailed, falling in a downward spiral through the air.**

 _ **So this is what the end feels like…**_ **Were my last thoughts before I stopped falling.**

 **Except, I hadn't died. I opened my eyes, and saw that Justin had caught me on Jack!**

 **His eyes were wide, and he finally stated, "Let's not tell the King of that experience…"**

 **I laughed a pure laugh of post near-death experience. "Let's not!"**

 **Though we never saw Rosy again, but he ended up teaching me to ride on Jack. It certainly was a whole lot safer...**

 _Those were fun times…_ _Hopefully we can have more thrilling adventures with Justin now._

"Christina!" Andy yelled in my ear while shaking me. "Snap out of it! What's with you today?"

"Andy! You're gonna leave her deaf once she's back!" cried Genna.

Everyone was staring at me.

 _Guess my thoughts got the best of me… again_.

"Well, are we gonna see this Justin the Stable boy guy or what?" Evelyn asked impatiently.

"Oh yeah!" I remembered, also informing everyone I was done looking back.

"Let's go!" Olivia cried.

I hoped Justin would help us, it would certainly make things more fun! I just hope he hasn't forgotten me...


	8. An Old Friend, A New Member

_**Let's start this Author's Note with a what AlliyahtheAuthor and I once wrote down together. :)**_

 **I hope you liked that last chapter, and also this one!**

 _ **Hello to all those reading! It's the Mystery Writer here to give you another hint!**_

 _ **I'll admit it.**_

 _ **I have stage fright. I freeze in front of a crowd and stutter doing a speech.**_

 **Wow! Even I didn't know that XD…**

 **Anyways, we're having a bit of a dilemma, though I believe I shouldn't tell you. I have a question: who do you ship in this story most? Leave in the reviews (or PM if you're shy XD)!**

 **Adore the chapter!**

* * *

Justin's P.O.V.

* * *

Destiny was the first to catch my attention with a friendly wave.

"Hello Justin!"

"Nice to see you again Destiny," I greeted back along with a genuine smile.

Then I saw the huge crowd of people right behind her. I immediately froze.

 _Who are all these people?!_ I freaked out internally, not accustomed to all the attention.

It was a rather odd lot. I only spotted two boys out of the swarm of girls. Both must have been younger than me. It appeared that both boys had sisters. The older one was under a choke hold by what seemed like a girl reflection of him. The younger boy was getting squished by what must have been his protective older sister. I probably shouldn't get too close to either of them with such close siblings. The members that stood out to me most though were the white winged angel hovering over the rest and a girl that seemed to be a living gold statue!

Christina stepped out of the troupe and introduced them to me. "Everyone, this is Justin the Stableboy."

After unfreezing from the initial shock, I smiled, love struck by her presence. Ever since I started working here, I've kind of had a crush on Christina.

 _But she's a princess,_ I kept having to remind myself sadly. _I'm a nobody..._

Destiny seemed to have changed from her cheery mood into a solemn one. I've always wondered what was with her mood swings… Christina waved happily at me.

"I suppose you didn't forget of me…" I laughed, trying to break the ice.

"How could I?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "You're my friend!"

"Wow! You brought a huge crowd along with you today! " I exclaimed in amazement, trying to distract myself from the sad reality of an impossible romance. "It's been awhile since I've had this much company..."

"Well, do you want to join us?" Christina offered.

I eyed her suspiciously, as well as the rest of the group. "What do you mean by that?"

They all got themselves comfortable on a pile of hay as they took turns telling me the story as the Knights of the Silver Rose since the beginning. Though everyone added comments here and there, Christina mostly read from a novel called Legend of the Knightly Ones, a book I've never heard of before. But the storyline was similar to another novel I've listened to when I was younger. Discovering how the book came to be and how that group of friends were all involved was unbelievable, but the proof was right there in front of me.

 _Why hasn't Destiny at least mentioned being a part of the Knights of the Silver Rose?_ I asked myself every time Christina read out her name.

It was hard to focus throughout most of the story, since I just admired Christina's passionate voice. Though that didn't distract me from remembering all those chances Destiny could have told me about all this since she came to visit me regularly.

An answer sprung out almost immediately. _She was just trying to protect the group from being discovered, as was Christina, which was probably why we haven't been meeting up together for some time now... But then why are they revealing all this to me? Why now?_

"Incredible!" I exclaimed in awe once they've finished their tale. "I'd love to be part of your secret knights group, but I guess all the seats are taken so..."

"Actually, that's why we came here," explained Fiona, the Ambassador of Grizzleheim. "Now that you know what we're up to and the circumstances we're under, we want you to join and help us."

"But don't tell anyone aside from us about this," warned Princess Cleopatra.

"So, what do you say?" asked Savannah, Christina's cousin.

I simply froze once more, aghast in what opportunities and risks lay ahead of me.

 _I've always wished of becoming a knight, but after no one picked me as their page or squire, I've been a stable boy since._

I tried weighing out the pros and cons.

 _This would be a dream come true! Adventure, heroism, and most of all, companionship. Then again, I might suffer the horrible consequences and there'll be many trials awaiting me._

Everyone was waiting for my response.

"Of course I will!" I answered to my new group of friends.

"Well everyone, looks like we have a new Knight of the Silver Rose!" declared Christina.

"Hold on," I paused, shushing the whole group.

After the story they told me, I had to confirm. "What do I need to do in order to prove myself worthy?"

"Well," Destiny thought out loud. "I have a good feeling you'll find a magical item that will help you serve your purpose."

 _How can she be so sure?_ _What does she think will happen? And what greatness does she see in me to come and visit me weekly and at least wave to me daily for years? I'm not worth having any supporters… I'm just a boring old stable boy._

* * *

Destiny's P.O.V.

* * *

 _There's a lot of potential in Justin_. _I don't trust many boys, but I know I can trust him._

I remembered the day that completely changed my views about Justin.

 **I was looking for a horse that I could ride so I could run away with it. I didn't feel like I belonged in the castle or deserve all the attention I was given after the disappearance of my parents long ago. I mean, how could I be openly accepted into the arms of Queen Gwendolyn and King Artorius when there are many orphans out there just like me? It just wasn't right. I didn't deserve the special treatment. I never did anything to gain their approval! I was about to sneak in the stables, but instead of exiting unseen with a pony, there was Justin the Stableboy, sobbing uncontrollably alongside a horse. Of course, this wasn't the first time I've seen him, but it was the first time I've seen him so worked up like this. He's usually rather relaxed and serious about his work, even though he was only a year older than Christina and me.**

" **What's wrong?" I asked, feeling uneasy.**

 **He looked up at me, teary eyed. "Sally is sad!"**

 **I realized Sally was the horse Justin was hugging. As much as I wanted to comfort him in that moment, I didn't know how. I was going to run away for King Artorius' sake! I can't have any eyewitnesses! It was then, when I was seven years old, that I first discovered I could mind-read.**

 **He pat the mare to comfort her.** _ **Don't worry Sally.**_ _**She won't take your Starlight away from you...**_

 **I gasped in shock, dropping the reins of the foal. The minute I did so, Starlight immediately charged towards Sally. Just for a second, I caught the glimpse of a magical red flow bonding the two horses and the stable boy together as they seemed to hug. That was the first time I spotted a magical bond. I haven't seen any like that since.**

I had a feeling that even though Justin is always overlooked as a stable boy, there was something special about him. He is someone that requires company from people, not just mounts, which is why I always wave to him when I pass by and have a delightful conversations to keep him updated on what was going on in the palace every so often, since he wasn't allowed inside. He was worth investing my time. He deserved to be given a chance.

Suddenly, Christina started struggling in keeping the Legend of the Knightly Ones book still! It was as if it became a bird that was struggling to fly away! We all tried to keep the book from escaping.

"Is this normal?!" panicked Justin now believing our connection with the book more than ever.

Christina tried to wrangle the book and pin it down. "To be honest, yes!"

Cassandra ducked, shielding her head with her wings. "Take cover everyone! Who knows if Destiny and Christina's swords will arrive to zoom all over the place again!"

Half of us jumped into the haystack to hide, while the other half did our best to pin down the book that seemed to have come alive. I was the last to pitch in, but as I did, a blast of green, blue, white, silver, and red pushed us back. I worried that the impact would be felt from all over Avalon. I was about to pick up the book, but then I realized there were now two! The second also had silver rose borders, identical to the Legend of the Knightly Ones, but instead of two crossing swords, there was a picture of a blue helmet just like the one carved in the middle of the floor in our secret room! The color of the blue helmet contrasted with the bright red cover. The golden title's font was identical to the blue book, but it was titled Mystery Mania.

I picked up the new book and left the other for Christina to hold. I looked at her, confused, then back at the recently created book I held. This sure is a mystery all right.


	9. Stable boy to Squire

_**Last chapter of this book already?! Well, hope you find it a good one. I kind of toiled with it more than any other chapter, and now it's the probably the longest chapter of mine yet, but I guess you could consider it as a grand finale, though this is anything but the end... ;)**_

 _ **As AlliyahtheAuthor and I once debated:**_

 **Enjoy the chapter (adore never really worked for me anyway o:)!**

 _ **You mean 'love' this chapter ;D**_

 **Good idea! Love the chapter, and as princess of Avalon, that's an order! XD kidding. I hope you do though. We're going to let you read now XD**

* * *

Olivia's P.O.V.

* * *

After all the commotion, we all gathered around. While Christina checked to see if the Legend of the Knightly Ones book was still in good condition, Destiny picked up the new one that came out of nowhere. She flipped through the pages for everyone to see.

"Mystery Mania..." read out a puzzled Cleopatra.

"You can say that again," teased Mia.

"Hey! It's all about our adventures! Just like the first!" Andrew puffed out his chest proudly. "We're famous now! Right?"

"I don't think so if this is the only copy of it," pointed out Mike.

"But why are there some empty spaces between paragraphs?" wondered Genna, pointing at some blank gaps in the middle of certain texts.

I noticed Destiny's mouth open as if she had something to say about that, but she shut it immediately. I don't know why I didn't have that same reaction of shock.

Then again, I partially knew the the answer. _I'd be stupefied right now too if I weren't accustomed to seeing magic in action growing up in the Weirwoods. But this? This is unlike anything I've ever seen!_

"We should go to our secret chamber before anyone spots and questions us," suggested Savannah, probably worried that the rest of her 'entourage' would come looking for her. "Best to keep the secrecy..."

None of us argued to that. We headed back to our secret hideaway.

* * *

Justin's P.O.V.

* * *

I was shaking after the tremendous force that pushed me back just minutes ago.

Michael patted me on the back while we went up some stairs. "You'll get used to this. It happens a lot, though I'm personally not that fond of surprises either..."

 _I'm supposed to get used to magic like that?!_ I wanted to protest out loud. _Nobody mentioned that being a knight included regular magical occurrences like that!_

We finally arrived at the secret headquarters and I was impressed with the results since they had little to work with.

 _No one would ever expect us in here. The walls are so old and thick, and the secret entrance is difficult to spot_. _I would have never known this place even existed if they haven't shown it to me. Wonder who found it? This place is very impressive indeed..._

Ambassador Fiona was the first to speak once I stepped into the room. "Welcome to the Knights of the Silver Rose's official hideout!"

"This place might not be what you expected from our tales, but it's all we've got, and it's like home!" declared Olivia proudly.

"We hope you enjoy it here," added Genevieve, but something was different about her.

"Whoa." My eyes bulged. "Where'd you get those silver-blue wings Genevieve?"

Princess Evelyn answered for her. "Weren't you listening to our tale earlier? And weren't you paying attention to when she transformed right behind you before we entered? Found the Sword in the Stone. Transformation. Both appear and disappear every so often."

I blushed, kind of embarrassed I wasn't paying attention since I was a bit out of sorts. "Oh yeah. Well, this is amazing! It's like I've always dreamed!"

"If we can later on, maybe we'll expand to that village we're making!" hoped Melissa.

"About the village," I started. "Can't we just invade one of the magical creatures' homes in the Wyrd or the Wild and use that as our expanded base?"

"Out of the question!" cried Ambassador Fiona in outrage. "Some creatures may be a nuisance, but we have no right to conquer! It's against the Warriors' Code to conquer for personal gain only with no other cause."

"Hold on," Destiny halted. "Justin may be onto something."

"We're not gonna attack some helpless creatures, are we?!" Lady Savannah cried despairingly.

"No! We'd never do that! I'd never forgive myself…" She looked down and shook her head guiltily before facing us once more. "Maybe we can come to an agreement with them."

"Well, they could ask for anything in return!" exclaimed Princess Cleopatra, being rational. "What if we can't fulfill their request?"

"If we can't, I guess it's back to the original plan," Destiny admitted with a shrug.

"At least building a whole village isn't our top choice!" expressed Christina, somewhat relieved. "I was worried how we'd even do that..."

"So it's official then?" Andrew asked, trying to clarify for everyone. "Find a village of magical creatures and bargain with them? It doesn't seem that liable."

"Well, do you have any other options?" Destiny asked back.

He stayed quiet. In the meantime, Destiny passed the new book called Mystery Mania to Christina.

Her eyes widened. "Hey Justin! You're in the story now!"

"I am?!" I skimmed over some pages in the middle end of the book to find my name mentioned not only once, but multiple times just like everyone else. "What an honor!"

 _I can't believe it! Maybe I_ will _be accepted as a knight after all..._ It was difficult to contain my excitement. _It will be hard to keep up, but worth it._

Princess Cassandra skipped over to the last page. "It doesn't seem complete. It's must be a work in progress..."

"Let's find out where the writing ends," decided Lady Savannah.

We huddled together as we carefully turned the pages as if it were story time. We were all shocked to see where the writing was just most recent. How did we know? Letters appeared right in front of us!

"Whoa..." awed Ambassador Fiona. "But who's writing this? I want to know the group of authors, and teach me to do that!"

After learning what little information about the author of the Five Tasks of Knightly, which turned into the Legend of the Knightly Ones, I had no clue who to suspect. I noticed that the format alternated between everyone's point of views, and I soon came to realize it was currently showing my point of view! I slammed the book immediately. Everyone stared at me.

"Heh, heh..." I chuckled nervously. "Sorry. That's just creeping me out."

Michael seemed extremely jumpy as well. "Yeah… Can we forget about that for now?"

"Fine. Before we do anything else, you've got to go get some armor stable boy," Princess Cleopatra recommended rudely. "Style is top priority."

Though Princess Cleopatra was kind of snobbish, I didn't talk back, just to be polite… and maybe because it's protocol. Destiny privately whispered to Michael for a second, then he headed towards me.

He put on his helmet, and then turned to face me. "Can you act Justin?"

 _What kind of question is that?_

"Yes?"

"Good. Follow my lead." He winked knowingly at Destiny.

We then headed to the Armory. Before heading inside, Michael ensured his visor covered his face.

"Good day, sir!" he greeted. "My squire requires some armor."

"At once!" the armorer replied.

It was pretty impressive how Michael handled himself back there.

 _Maybe he's going to teach me to act as well as fight_...

My armor is made with silver plates with a brown trim. Now I felt like I was a real knight. He engraved a silver rose onto my chestplate, so it would match Michael's and everyone else's. They didn't need to tell me that it was their Knights of the Silver Rose's logo. It was kind of obvious since it suited the name so perfectly. It definitely gave them a sense of unification, and now I was gonna become one of them. Once my armor was complete, I put it on immediately. I couldn't let any time go to waste if I wanted to train quickly before my first mission.

Michael sighed in relief once we exited the Armory with my new gear. "Phew. I was surprised that armorer didn't recognize my armor he made just recently. Our made-up story was pretty lame."

He laughed, and I joined in, remembering how they said they pretended it was for a play.

After settling down, I asked intently, "So what's first?"

He scratched his head. "Maybe I should start by introducing myself. I'm Michael Legend."

I held out my hand for a shake. "Justin the Stableboy. Nice to meet you."

"Another person with no last name?" He eyed me suspiciously.  
I chuckled. "Guess that's pretty common here in Avalon. It never really mattered back in the olden days and still today. We were all just 'Sir blah blah blah' or 'Blah blah blah the blacksmith."

He nodded. "That's interesting."

We both laughed together once more.

"Heh heh, this is awkward..." I could have sworn I heard Michael mumble in between chuckles.

Finally, we had been half-heartedly laughing for what seemed an eternity. I was starting to wonder if this guy knew what he was doing…

"I think you too are gonna break the record for laughing the longest time," giggled Olivia as she cut in, jumping over the wooden fence bordering the fighting ring with ease. "How about you observe how Mike and I fight against each other?"

I nodded. Olivia was speedy and strong with her incredible Obsidian sword, but so was Michael. He seemed to play more defense though. He swung his sword, but Olivia dodged out of the way.

"Give up yet?" she taunted.  
"Never!" he cried heroically.

With her natural speed, she ran circles around him.

 _Poor Michael!_ _This is not going to end well for him..._

Finally, he stopped chasing after Olivia. "I yield!"

By this time, he was gasping for air.

"Amazing!" I commented in awe. "How did you guys learn so quickly in so little time?"

"Been forced to learn to defend myself growing up in the Weirwoods," Olivia explained. "Eventually, I became more of an attacker rather than a defender, since that never got me anywhere. I guess you could say I fight best on offense."

"Well, Destiny dueled me once, and powned me big time," confessed Michael. "But I think I'd fight better with a shield in one hand so I can focus my sword-hand for attacking while taking damage. Too bad those things are too bulky to bring along..."

"Wait. So _that's_ how your acting lesson with her went?! But she's the last person I'd expect to start a fight!" spluttered Olivia. "I thought I could read Destiny like an open book the minute I met her in the Weirwoods!"

"Well, we were acting different possible catastrophes that could happen in the meeting," Michael explained, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Now that I think of it, I'm surprised the situation we acted out actually happened..."

"Can I try and fight you now Olivia?" I challenged antsily.

She positioned herself in a fighting stance for an answer. I gripped my newly made silver sword. The handle was all copper with a brown leather grip. It felt familiarly comfortable, the leathery texture reminding me of when I lifted saddles onto horses. With my new blade in my hands, I leaped into action.

 _Here goes nothing…_

* * *

Genevieve's P.O.V.

* * *

Andy was unusually silent. I realized it was because he was gaping at the sight of my wings. I shook my head in disapproval. Even though he's seen this occur often in the past few days, he would be in just stop and stare every single time.

"Close that mouth of yours Andy," I instructed. "You should know by now that doing that is exceedingly rude."

"Ooh! Now we have some free time!" Cassandra grabbed my hand and dragged me out to an open field.

"Perfect timing for what?" wondered Andy following us.

"Cassandra? What are you doing?" I struggled to loosen from her grip. "Why did drag me all the way out here?"

"To teach you to fly silly!" giggled Cassandra, letting go of me.

"Aw! I want to fly!" whined Andy.

"Don't worry Andy, your sis can carry you," Cassandra compromised. "From what I've observed her wings are very powerful, almost like mine. Now. Let's start with the basics. Fluttering, controlling your turns, and landing."

As she listed the moves out, she demonstrated. It didn't seem too hard. I held Andy by the waist, and followed Cassandra's lead. Andy didn't feel so heavy with the strength of my wings. My turns were a bit too sharp, and my landings weren't exactly soft. Even though I crashed quite a bit, my unharmed little brother always wanted to go back up in the air. He lengthened his arms out wide to embrace the free feeling when I soared successfully.

Cassandra decided to change things up since I wasn't exactly improving as quickly as she hoped. "Hmm. I think you're more of a fast flyer Genna. It'll make your turns wider and maybe your landings quicker. Race ya!"

With that, she sped away.

"Hey!" I lifted up immediately, carrying Andy, and soon caught up with her.

"WEEEE!" shouted Andy, obviously enjoying the need for speed.

"Not bad for a beginner..." Cassandra approved. "Lean a bit more for your turns!"

She circled around the tallest turret of the Avalonian castle. I paused and ended up hovering, envying her incredible control over her wings.

"Come on Genna!" encouraged my younger brother. "You can do it!"

"But I'm gonna crash! I'm still not good at this!" I reasoned, feeling like a failure to my mother who was a seraph.

"Well, best to learn now than during a battle," he compared.

 _Good point._

I took a deep breath, and carefully followed Cassandra's route as she perched on the top of the tower. I did it!

"Looks like you're ready to go to the next level," winked Cassandra. "Diving."

"D-d-d-diving?" I didn't feel so sure about this.

"You let the altitude bring you down, then at the last second, you change your diving position into a standing one, then land." She demonstrated and landed perfectly on the grass.

Andy did his best to motivate me. "You've got this!"

I sighed. I couldn't let my brother down. He was the only family I had left. But I might lose him if I attempted at this… I still went for the dive before second guessing myself. I ended up unable to stop all the pressure, and my wings covered me and Andy in a perfect protective, feathery orb.

Andrew leaped out of my arms and bounced around. "What a dive! The impact was even greater than when you were crashing! Let's do it again!"

"Hmm. Looks like you're gonna have to practice on the landing in general Genna. Otherwise, those are the basics for ya," Cassandra concluded. "Maybe we can twirl in the clouds someday just for fun. But until then, learning to land is your top priority. See you around!"

With that, Cassandra flew into the clouds, yelling, "Woohoo!"

Christina, Mia, Evelyn, Cleopatra, and Fiona came to my aid. I stared longingly at Cassandra.

Now, I had a goal in mind. _Someday, I'm gonna be able to be just as great as Cassandra and soar with her through the skies._

* * *

Justin's P.O.V.

* * *

Olivia taught me the basics of attacking while Michael watched from the sidelines, giving me tips on how to defend myself against her blows. I didn't really do well at first, and ended up having to block even more than Michael did. But eventually, I turned those blocks into attacks, and I think I got the hang of it!

"You're a fast learner Justin!" commented Olivia admiringly.

I took the compliment with a smile. "Thanks! I just can't believe I'm actually doing this!"

As we took a break, I noticed Destiny walk by with some gear for our upcoming travels.

"Hey, Destiny!" I yelled in order to get her attention.

She walked towards us with the equipment. "How's training going?"

"Great! I think I'll be able to defend and attack without anyone's help now," I answered confidently.

"Oh really now? In one day?" she humored. "Very impressive."

"Yeah! Bet I could beat you!" I gloated carelessly.

She smirked. "Hmm... You think that's so?"

She dropped her supplies on the dirt ground. Michael and Olivia gasped.

 _Uh oh..._ _She took that to heart!_ _What have I gotten myself into? I can't believe I didn't take Michael's past experiences to heart!_

She put her helmet on, and drew her sword out. I don't know how, but she did an aerial flip with her sword and landed on her feet closer to me, ready for the challenge. Michael and Olivia were amazing at sword fighting, but I had never imagined Destiny as a sword master!

 _How is this even possible?!_

Our duel was short-lived. She spun my sword around my wrist until I could no longer grip it, otherwise I would twist it. I lost my sword as it spun from my hand to blade down in the ground.

I put my hands up in the air as to surrender. "I guess it's _not_ so…"

"When are you gonna teach me that move?!" cried Michael from a distance.

He and Olivia backed away from us while we were fighting.

"You'll learn the envelopment move in due time," she winked, before turning to me. "Remember Justin. You're not alone here. We're all here to fight together as a team and support one another, not bring individual members down. Another thing you should know: I can't stand boastfulness. It's pointless. There's always room for improvement and that's why we're all here. Even I'm still learning."

 _She's still learning?!_ _She seems like an expert! No wonder why she's co-leading with Christina in this secret organization. Wonder how she does it..._

"Well, um, thanks for your, uh, wisdom," I stuttered, still shocked with my previous loss.

This is _not_ the Destiny I remember _..._

"No problem." She smiled sweetly, removing her helmet. "Would you three care to help me out with all these please? It's hard on the back carrying so much."

 _This_ was the Destiny I've known since we've first met.

 _It's odd how she changes personalities so quickly..._ _I wonder how she does it. And why..._

Michael started whispering into my ear. "You sure acted like Fenton Crackshell there Justin. Even after I warned you! Pick your fights carefully..."

I took his advice to heart, but one thing he mentioned left me puzzled. "Who's Fenton Crackshell?"

Michael slapped his head. "Oh... Nevermind."

We all headed back with an equal amount of equipment necessary in order to survive in the woods.

"Okay then! Explorers, follow me!" declared Christina, naturally leading the way.

"Good luck!" farewelled the others who were staying.

As we headed towards the woods, I started to doubt whether I was worthy in doing this task or even being a new addition to this group. I just wished we knew what we were getting ourselves into...

* * *

 _ **And, end scene! ;D XD**_

 _ **Hope you liked this book. I know it's pretty short and there isn't much action, but things will get more interesting in the next book… ;)**_

 _ **I'm off to create the next book cover. Farewell until then! :)**_


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